After several years of investigation, authorities in Georgia say they have apprehended an organized organization that broke into or stole about 500 vehicles between November 2022 and March 2024.
After noticing a trend of high-end paint sprayers and tools being stolen and work vehicles being broken into at night, Gwinnett County Police Department investigators launched an investigation in November 2022.
Detectives said that Myles Cameron, 22, of Fairburn, Georgia, was taken into custody in February 2023 on several charges of breaking into cars connected to these cases. After Cameron’s arrest, investigators discovered more individuals were implicated, but they were unable to identify them.
Investigators observed a recurring pattern of car break-ins and vehicle thefts in Gwinnett County in June 2023. The thefts and break-ins took place over a number of nights and frequently included multiple automobiles.
During these crimes, the suspects frequently used stolen vehicles to conceal their identities and travel between crime scenes. Many of these stolen cars were located by detectives after the culprits utilized and abandoned them. When the cars were gathered, detectives and crime scene investigators examined them all for evidence.
A homeowner approached the organized group of suspects on July 19, 2023, when they were breaking into cars on Traymore Drive in Norcross.
In response, one of the criminals opened fire on the house. Although the homeowner was not shot, authorities claim that this episode shows that the team was prepared to use violence to avoid being taken into custody.
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The group persisted in their car theft and break-in binge over the entire month of August. In order to identify the culprits, detectives combed through hours of surveillance footage of crime scenes and processed any evidence they could discover.
In connection with the car break-ins, investigators on August 31 identified and apprehended 23-year-old Javaris Gamble of East Point, with help from the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Office.
Even after Gamble was apprehended, the remaining suspects in the group persisted in breaking into and stealing cars throughout Gwinnett County until March 2024.
Detectives combed through social media, phone records, and surveillance throughout this period. Detectives’ efforts eventually allowed them to locate and apprehend the remaining members of the crew that were engaged in these occurrences.
Following several months of investigation and hundreds of cars that these suspects destroyed, broke into, or took, investigators were able to obtain arrest warrants for every crew member, according to officials.
The Gwinnett County Police Department claims that the suspects in this case were well-organized and had planned many of their acts before they were carried out.
The group had a safe house in Fulton County’s East Point neighborhood where they kept cash, stolen weapons, and other goods.
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office indicted all seven members under the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for plotting to break into or steal 492 vehicles between November 2022 and March 2024 after the defendants obtained their warrants from the investigators. In addition, the crew faced charges of aggravated assault for their July 19 shooting incident with the homeowner on Traymore Drive.
For the purpose of gathering evidence against the accused, authorities employed cell phone data, DNA recovered from crime scenes, and fingerprint analysis.
