Atlanta Heist: UPS Driver Kidnapped At Gunpoint, Packages Stolen

A UPS driver in Atlanta was kidnapped at gunpoint and left tied up for hours in an 18-wheeler after his tractor-trailer was seized.

Authorities said the suspects stole several packages from the truck before vanishing from the scene Tuesday morning.

The heist began as the driver was traveling in the big rig at around 3.30 a.m. ET. The UPS employee had stopped at a traffic light at Fulton Industrial Blvd NW and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW when an assailant jumped into the vehicle, the police said.

Armed with a gun, the man ordered the driver to take the truck to a secluded area, media outlet NBC News reported. Once they reached the secluded area, “the suspect, along with others, tied the victim up and stole cargo from the tractor trailer,” an Atlanta Police Department statement said.

The suspects took packages from the UPS truck and loaded them into their own vehicle. They stole less than a quarter of the packages inside the big rig. The hijackers then fled the scene, leaving the UPS driver tied up inside the truck, the investigators said.

The driver remained in the truck for hours waiting for help. When his 18-wheeler was reported overdue, the company tracked down the location of the truck using GPS, and UPS employees arrived at the scene. Law enforcement was called at around 9.15 a.m. ET after the driver was found uninjured inside the trailer.

“Robbery investigators responded and are beginning their investigation,” the police statement said. The company also released a statement after the incident came to light, according to NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.

"We are thankful that our driver is safe, and will defer questions to the investigating authorities," a company representative said Wednesday.

As investigations ensued, the police said they will be sifting through surveillance footage from the area for any information that could lead to the suspects' arrests. They believe at least two people were at the scene of the crime, but noted more suspects could have been involved in the heist.

Sgt. Jarius Daugherty with the Atlanta Police Department said the kidnapped UPS driver did the right thing by complying with orders given by the assailants.

“Our recommendation in a situation like this is to comply. There’s no amount of property out there worth possibly having your life taken,” Daugherty said.