Three suspects who allegedly carjacked an Uber driver last month, prompting a two-hour lockdown on the Kennesaw State University campus, are part of the same crew that had been wanted for crimes across DeKalb and Cobb counties, officials confirmed Monday.
Several metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies helped to investigate and combat the violent crime spree, in which members of the unnamed crew are accused of shooting a man in the head, damaging and carjacking vehicles, and threatening several other people at gunpoint, authorities said.
“We truly needed all of the help from DeKalb and from Cobb County police departments in order to get where we are today,” Marietta police spokesperson Officer Chuck McPhilamy told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
On the morning of Jan. 14, three adults and two juveniles are accused of stealing a car in DeKalb and driving it to German Auto Repairs on Roswell Road in Marietta. The suspects, identified as Giovanni Brown, 19, Alijah Carter, 19, Khalil Lloyd, 17, and two others, allegedly broke into and damaged eight vehicles at the shop, located near East Marietta Shopping Center.
Afterward, the suspects drove about four miles to a Motel 6 at 2360 Delk Road, where they approached the parked vehicle of a 44-year-old Marietta man who was in the process of dropping off a friend around 5:30 a.m., police said. The suspects are accused of pointing handguns at the victims and demanding their money. In a panic, one victim attempted to drive away, police said, while his passenger tried to get out of the vehicle.
“Multiple members of the crew opened fire, striking (the victim’s) vehicle (14) times as he was driving away,” police said. “One of the bullets penetrated the car and struck (the victim) in the head, miraculously not penetrating his skull.”
Investigators collected evidence and spoke to witnesses after the two incidents, which led them to identify similar alleged crimes in other judications.
Police have not said how many members the crew has or announced its name.
On Jan. 24, a week after the crimes in Marietta, Brown and two other crew members, Marquise Adams and an unidentified suspect, called for an Uber ride in DeKalb near the intersection of Fairington and Panola roads, Cobb police said. They were then driven about 40 miles to a Waffle House across from the KSU campus on Frey Road, where they pointed guns at the driver and forced him to surrender, according to arrest warrants.
The suspects allegedly took the ride-share driver’s wallet and told him to get into the trunk of the 2023 Cadillac CT4, but he was able to run away, the warrants stated. They then drove the vehicle toward campus, police said.
Campus police issued an alert after receiving reports about at least one intruder on the campus. The vehicle was found by officers near a student housing building on Idlewood Avenue and a suspect was spotted running across I-75 near Wade Green Road, the incident report stated.
After a brief chase, Adams, of Lithonia, was arrested by both Cobb and KSU police. He was found with the keys to the stolen Cadillac, according to police. Two pistols were also located nearby. He was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Brown, also of Lithonia, was arrested two days later and booked into the Cobb jail. He is facing charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, hijacking a motor vehicle and aggravated assault.
The third suspect remains at large, according to Cobb police, which confirmed the other alleged crimes by the crew included armed robberies in both Cobb and Marietta.
Brown, Carter and Lloyd will each face 12 felony charges from the two incidents in Marietta, according to McPhilamy. Lloyd was arrested Feb. 7 by DeKalb police and will tried as an adult, McPhilamy said.
The identities of the other teenagers accused in the Marietta crimes were not released. McPhilamy said they will face the same charges in juvenile court.
It’s unclear whether Adams, the suspect in the KSU incident, will face additional charges.
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