Gwinnett County prosecutors have indicted seven people accused of breaking into almost 500 vehicles over a 16-month period and shooting at one homeowner who allegedly caught them in the act.
The group, which prosecutors described as “a band of thieves,” operated out of East Point and stole several cars “to use in their ongoing criminal enterprise,” officials said.
Those charged include Javaris Cardell Gamble, 23; Myles David Cameron, 22; Kylija Devion Yates, 23; Randy D. Martinez, 24; Emmanuel Carvarria-Ornelas, 24; Giovanni Louis Bell, 27; and Kejuan Miliam, 24. All seven were charged with violating the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, more commonly known as RICO, Gwinnett prosecutors said.
Other charges include aggravated assault, entering an automobile or motor vehicle with intent to commit theft or felony, entering an automobile, theft by taking and misdemeanor trespassing.
Yates, Cameron, Gamble and Chavarria-Ornelas are being held in the Gwinnett County Jail, authorities said Thursday. Martinez was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to Georgia, while Miliam and Bell remain at large.
In a statement, Chief Assistant District Attorney John Melvin said the DA is “committed to eradicating organized crime.”
“We appreciate the exemplary work of the Gwinnett County Police Department disrupting this crime spree,” Melvin said. “Now, with this indictment, the DA’s office will seek to ensure the defendants are held accountable.”
Police said the men were linked to 492 break-ins between November 2022 and March of this year. They were after guns, cash and other items, including paint sprayers and other high-end tools that investigators said were stolen from work vans overnight. Gwinnett police said they noticed a trend of cargo vans being targeted in areas across the county.
In July 2023, authorities said one suspect opened fire on a Norcross homeowner who confronted the group. That man was not injured in the shooting.
Several of the cars stolen in Gwinnett were allegedly used in similar auto break-ins in neighboring counties, according to police, who said those vehicles were later abandoned. The suspects allegedly operated out of a “safe house” in East Point, where they took the stolen items.
Police said they identified the suspects using fingerprints and DNA recovered from the scenes, along with surveillance footage and cellphone data.
If convicted, each defendant could face up to two decades in prison.
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