Popular actor and songwriter Tyrese Gibson was reunited with his luxury SUV hours after it was stolen from the driveway of his Buckhead mansion Tuesday morning. Now, he plans to bond out the young men who took it.
Gibson, who is known for his roles in the “Fast and Furious” movies, parked his Range Rover in his driveway about 1:15 a.m. but left his key fob in the cupholder, Atlanta police spokeswoman TaSheena Brown said in an emailed statement.
Around 8 a.m., he noticed his vehicle was missing and called the police.
Security footage showed a sedan pull up to the celebrity’s driveway after circling the cul-de-sac shortly after 2 a.m., according to Brown. A man exited the passenger side of the sedan and opened the door to Gibson’s vehicle before getting inside, she said.
He then drove away in the SUV, trailing the car that dropped him off.
Police were able to track the Range Rover to a northwest Atlanta apartment building and spotted the vehicle near a gray Nissan Altima occupied by four young men, authorities said. The Nissan had been stolen from Union City, police later discovered.
After seeing the officers, the men jumped out of the Nissan and ran through the Carver Hills neighborhood, authorities said. Officers eventually located two of the teenagers, ages 16 and 17, with the help of the Georgia State Patrol, a police helicopter and two K-9 units, authorities said.
An officer fired his Taser at the 17-year-old, who was found with a gun and the key to Gibson’s Range Rover, according to police. He was charged with theft by taking, obstruction, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a person under 18. Police said the teen also had warrants out of Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Cobb County for theft by taking a motor vehicle, larceny and failure to appear in court on disorderly conduct charges.
The 16-year-old was charged with theft by receiving stolen property for the Nissan and misdemeanor obstruction, authorities said. Atlanta police said investigators planned to question the teens about their possible involvement in other metro Atlanta car thefts.
In a comment posted to The Shade Room’s Instagram account, Gibson told the celebrity news outlet he was able to recover the Range Rover within three hours of reporting it stolen. He also said he planned to post bond for the teens who took it.
“... tryna bail the these youngsta’s out,” Gibson wrote. “They just out here tryna get money ... I ain’t mad at all ... All love stay safe out there 2020 has tried to wipe us all out ... God is the greatest ... Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Do ... Amen.”
Atlanta police have seen a rise in vehicle thefts over the past couple of months, mostly in the more affluent parts of the city along the Peachtree corridor from Buckhead to downtown.
“We’re seeing this pattern over and over,” Atlanta police Deputy Chief Michael O’Connor said last month. “I believe roughly 70 percent of vehicles stolen this year have been stolen with the key fob inside.”
In addition to the Atlanta-filmed “Fast and Furious” movies, Gibson has also appeared in the “Transformers” franchise. On Tuesday, he announced his split from his wife of four years, Samantha Gibson.
The couple said they intend “to remain the best of friends (and) strong co-parents” to their 2-year-old daughter in a joint statement posted to Tyrese Gibson’s Instagram page.
“As if 2020 hasn’t already been extremely grueling and challenging to us all, we wanted to mutually speak on this now to keep this energy in 2020 and not take this energy into 2021,” they said in the statement. “We would really appreciate your most sincere prayers and to respect our privacy at this time as we deal with the reality of where we are.”
Gibson also shares a 13-year-old daughter with ex-wife Norma Mitchell Gibson, who accused him of child abuse in 2017. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services investigated the allegations and decided not to pursue criminal charges against the entertainer.
In other news:
