The suspected leader of a metro Atlanta theft crew has been arrested following a string of vehicle break-ins that plagued residents across several counties over the summer months, authorities said Thursday.
Javaris Gamble, 22, of East Point, was taken into custody in Forest Park last week following a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the hundreds of alleged crimes committed by the crew since May. He is facing charges connected to 30 break-ins over a single night, June 22, in Gwinnett County alone.
“The crime spree continued nearly every other night throughout the summer, with more than 400 vehicles entered and more than 15 vehicles stolen from Gwinnett County,” police in that county said in a news release.
Gamble is being held without bond in Gwinnett and has outstanding warrants out of Atlanta, Fairburn, DeKalb County and Cobb County, online records show.
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
A January 2021 incident in DeKalb resulted in charges of entering auto, theft by receiving stolen property in another state, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and interference with government property for Gamble, according to court records.
In October of last year, warrants were issued for his arrest after he was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run and attempted to flee from law enforcement in Cobb. Other charges from that incident included theft by receiving a stolen firearm and reckless driving, records show.
The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office made Thursday’s arrest with help from U.S. marshals and the Forest Park and Clayton County police departments.
“This arrest illustrates the hard work uniformed officers, crime scene technicians, analysts and detectives have done and the multi-jurisdiction collaboration between metro Atlanta agencies,” Gwinnett police said.
No further information was released about the extent of the theft ring, but another suspect was also identified. Warrants were issued for 23-year-old Randy Daniel Martinez, who is facing 37 counts of entering auto from incidents on Aug. 31. His location is unknown at this time, police said.
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
“Additional charges will be sought via indictment,” the department added.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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