EXCLUSIVE: Georgia man who called police to report Ahmaud Arbery 'milling about' construction site says he was suspicious because the jogger was wearing 'saggy pants'
A Georgia resident who called cops to report Ahmaud Arbery 'milling about' inside an empty house says his suspicions were justified – because the unarmed jogger was wearing 'baggy' clothes.
DailyMail.com tracked down the alleged eyewitness who saw Arbery entering a family home currently under construction on the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia.
He decided to alert police via a non-emergency number because the unidentified 'intruder' had 'no business' trespassing on the unfurnished property for several minutes around 1pm on February 23.
Asked why he was so suspicious about Arbery, he told DailyMail.com: 'He wasn't out for a jog, put it like that. You don't go jogging wearing saggy pants, saggy shorts.'
The aspiring boxer - who would have turned 26 last Friday - was in fact wearing a white T-shirt and knee-length shorts, consistent with clothes that someone might wear to train or go for a run.
Moments after he left the empty property he was shot and killed by father and son 'vigilantes' Gregory and Travis McMichael, who claim they were attempting to detain a burglary suspect.
A Georgia resident who called cops to report Ahmaud Arbery 'milling about' inside an empty house says his suspicions were justified – because the unarmed jogger was wearing 'baggy' clothes. Asked why he was so suspicious about Arbery, the caller told DailyMail.com: 'He wasn't out for a jog, put it like that. You don't go jogging wearing saggy pants, saggy shorts'
Arbery, an aspiring boxer who would have turned 26 last Friday - was in fact wearing a white t-shirt and knee-length shorts, consistent with clothes that someone might wear to train or go for a run
Moments after he left the empty property he was shot and killed by 'vigilantes' Gregory (left) and Travis McMichael (right) who claim they were attempting to detain a burglary suspect
It took nearly three months and three different prosecutors for the father and son to be charged with murder after state authorities were stung into action by a leaked video of the 'lynching'.
Georgia's Attorney General is now investigating the handling of the case amid claims that prosecutors passed it off to protect 64-year-old Gregory McMichael, a retired cop who worked for the local district attorney's office.
The resident interviewed by DailyMail.com is on a police list of eyewitnesses so his evidence will likely play a part when the explosive case goes to trial.
He lives 350 yards from the construction site at 220 Satilla Drive and would only speak with us on condition of anonymity because he fears reprisals.
'I saw the fella earlier before it happened and I called the police probably about 10 minutes before it happened,' he recalled.
'I didn't call 911, I called the non-emergency number. I saw him running but he wasn't running through the neighborhood.
'The fella entered a home under construction that he really had no business in. He was inside a house, it's on my neighbor's security camera.'
The home under construction is described in recent listings as a vacant lot, 0.5 acres in size on the banks of the Little Satilla River: the perfect spot for the 'river front home of your dreams'.
The current owner, Larry English Jr., bought it in June 2016 for $120,000 and has built the majority of the structure which has a sign posted outside, warning: 'Trespassers will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.'
In the sickening footage of Arbery's death, a shot can be heard and Arbery is seen scuffling with Travis as Arbery appears to try to get the gun away from Travis. Two more shots can be heard and are fired at point-blank range before
When DailyMail.com reached out to English he stressed he was elsewhere on February 23 and played no part in the events leading up to Arbery's death. English says he was working three hours away when he received an alert on his cell phone saying something had triggered a remote security camera inside the property.
Assuming it was a dog or cat, he didn't look at his phone for about 15 minutes.
By the time he had checked the footage, seen an unidentified male and asked a friend in Satilla Drive what was going on, the shooting had already happened.
'The English family had no relationship with the McMichaels and did not even know what had occurred until after Mr Arbery's death was reported to them,' he said, though an attorney.
'Mr English would never have sought a vigilante response, much less one resulting in a tragic death.'
Two separate videos emerged over the weekend to confirm that Arbery had indeed entered the partially-built house, one captured by English's camera and a second taken from a neighboring property.
Arberry's family say the clips are actually proof that he didn't steal anything and was merely looking around, which they insist is not a crime.
'Ahmaud Arbery did not take any anything from the construction site. He did not cause any damage to the property,' their attorney, S. Lee Merritt, said.
The eyewitness who saw Arbery inside the unfinished building confirmed to DailyMail.com that he was able to walk in without breaking and entering.
'It's all dried in but there's no garage doors. It's under construction,' he said. 'He walked down to the scene, he milled about in the front yard, he went into the house, that's when I walked up and saw, I was across the street, behind an oak tree. I called the police, he saw me and he ran away.'
Two separate videos emerged over the weekend to confirm that Arbery had indeed entered the partially-built house, one captured by English's camera and a second taken from a neighboring property
The eyewitness who saw Arbery inside the unfinished building confirmed to DailyMail.com that he was able to walk in without breaking and entering. He denies tipping the McMichaels off or urging anyone to chase down Arbery, who was blasted with a shotgun when the trigger-happy duo caught up with him at a nearby intersection
The resident said Arbery ran straight past the home of Gregory and Travis McMichael, which is five doors down, but the witness doesn't recall seeing either of the men.
He denies tipping them off or urging anyone to chase down Arbery, who was blasted with a shotgun when the trigger-happy duo caught up with him at a nearby intersection.
The witness's timeline tallies with a recording of a 1:08pm non-emergency call released by the Brunswick Police Department and published last week by DailyMail.com. 'There's a guy in the house right now, a house under construction,' the male caller says in the clip.
The audio is redacted to protect his identity but DailyMail.com can confirm it's the same voice as the man we spoke to.
He claimed there had been a rash of thefts in Satilla Shores recently that included pistols and rifles stolen from people's vehicles. Police have said they recorded one burglary in the area since January; there are no records matching claims of firearms thefts from vehicles.
However, he said he had never personally seen Arbery before and had no evidence he was linked to the theft or any other crimes.
'I saw him running down the street and I know someone matching his description had been entering vehicles and been on people's docks,' the witness added.
'So I went down there to call the police and get a closer look.'
The witness said he said he had never personally seen Arbery before and had no evidence he was linked to the theft or any other crimes. 'I saw him running down the street and I know someone matching his description had been entering vehicles and been on people's docks,' the witness added. 'So I went down there to call the police and get a closer look'
Asked whether the father and son were justified in chasing down and shooting Arbery, he added: 'I don't know enough, I can't say.'
Gregory and Travis McMichael claim they were trying to perform a legal citizen's arrest when Arbery lunged towards 34-year-old Travis McMichael's shotgun and was blasted three times in the melee.
The older man did ring 911 at 1:14pm to report a 'black male running down the street' but he broke off moments later to take the law into his own hands - shouting: 'Goddamn it, c'mon Travis'.
In their statements to police in the aftermath, the McMichaels said Arbery caught their attention because he resembled a man accused of an alleged spate of residential break-ins.
However there is, to date, no evidence to suggest he committed any crime in predominantly white Satilla Shores on or before the day of the shooting.
'[Gregory] McMichael stated he was in his front yard and saw the suspect from the break-ins 'hauling a**' down Satilla Drive toward Burford Drive,' responding officer J. Brandeberry wrote in his report.
'McMichael stated he then ran inside his house and called to Travis [McMichael] and said, ''Travis, the guy is running down the street let's go.''
'McMichael stated he went to his bedroom and grabbed his .357 Magnum and Travis grabbed his shotgun because they ''didn't know if the male was armed or not''.'
Gregory and Travis McMichael claim they were trying to perform a legal citizen's arrest when Arbery lunged towards 34-year-old Travis McMichael's shotgun and was blasted three times in the melee
Exclusive photos show the moment Gregory McMichael (pictured) and his son Travis McMichael were arrested at their home in Brunswick, Georgia, last Thursday
An officer with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is seen leading 34-year-old Travis McMichael out of the home in handcuffs
A now-notorious video of their deadly encounter with Arbery shows the pair blocking an intersection in their truck as he tries to run past.
As Gregory McMichael looks on from the flatbed with his weapon at the ready, his son approaches Arbery with the shotgun before shooting him three times as they grapple.
Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George E. Barnhill - one of two prosecutors who recused themselves because of links to Gregory McMichael - provoked outrage when he declined to arrest the pair.
'It appears it was their intent to stop and hold this criminal suspect until law enforcement arrived,' Barnhill wrote in memo to police. 'Under Georgia law, that is perfectly legal.'
Barnhill further alleged that Arbery's 'mental health records & prior convictions' demonstrated his 'aggressive nature.'
In a second letter obtained by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, he said Gregory McMichael had previously played some role in investigating Arbery, though he did not specify what the offence was or describe his level of involvement.
Arberry's family say the clips are actually proof that he didn't steal anything and was merely looking around, which they insist is not a crime
Arbery's grieving parents Wanda Jones Cooper (pictured with her son) and Marcus Arbery Sr say their son had simply gone for a routine midday jog when he was subjected to a modern day 'lynching'
Barnhill is thought to be referring to a 2013 incident in which Arbery was caught with a gun tucked into his pants while he tried to attend a high school basketball game.
Reports from the time suggest the then-18-year-old ran away but was chased and caught by several officers, one of whom suffered a fractured hand.
He was sentenced to five years' probation as a first offender for carrying a weapon on campus and several counts of obstructing a law enforcement officer.
Arbery was also convicted of a probation violation in 2018 after he was charged with shoplifting.
McMichael did not tell cops on the day of the shooting that he knew Arbery, however, or that he remembered him from the high school gun incident or any other previous investigations.
He simply told officers he feared Arbery was armed because 'the other night they saw the same male and he stuck his down his pants which led them to believe he was armed', according to the police report.
Arbery's grieving parents Wanda Jones Cooper and Marcus Arbery Sr say their son had simply gone for a routine midday jog when he was subjected to a modern day 'lynching'.
EXCLUSIVE: Georgia man who called police to report Ahmaud Arbery 'milling about' construction site says he was suspicious because the jogger was wearing 'saggy pants'
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May 13, 2020
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