Crime & Safety

Fitness Club Manager May Have Unknowingly Opened Lockers for Thief

Investigators believe the same person or persons hit three Sandy Springs fitness clubs, last Tuesday afternoon, between 4 and 7 p.m.

Police continue to investigate locker thefts at two LA Fitness locations and Just Fitness.

Investigators believe the , last Tuesday afternoon between 4 and 7 p.m.

Meanwhile an manager declined to explain why a district operations manager may have unknowingly opened lockers for the thief or thieves at one of the locations.

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According to the incident report, Brandon Smith, a member services manager at 1155 Mount Vernon Highway, was informed that another manager was asked by someone to open lockers because that person had put their lock on the wrong locker. The district operations manager may have opened three lockers with bolt cutters.

“He was doing what he was supposed to do,” said Smith, but would not explain further.

Find out what's happening in Sandy Springswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Members driver’s licenses, several credit and debit cards and work IDs were stolen.

Sandy Springs Patch has left messages with the LA Fitness corporate office.

A timeline shows the thieves hit members’ lockers at just after 4 p.m., before moving on to four lockers at Just Fitness, 6335 Roswell Road after 5 p.m., and then three lockers at LA Fitness, 1155 Mount Vernon Highway after 6 p.m. 

“Our biggest problem is trying to get people convinced to take nothing into the locker,” said Sandy Springs Police Lt. Steve Rose.

Valuables of any kind should not be left in lockers. One scenario, Rose said, is the thief enters the locker room with bolt cutters hidden in a gym bag. He quickly cuts the lock, puts the bolt cutters away, grabs the items and leaves.

“It only takes 10 seconds or so,” Rose said.


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