Three convicted felons already on probation have now been linked to a string of Atlanta carjackings, including one in the Buckhead area, Atlanta police said Thursday afternoon. And it’s possible the trio is responsible for similar crimes, according to police.
Ronnie Houston, 24, Darius Demond McKenzie, 23, and Sedarius Kenard Tidwell, 22, have all been arrested and charged with multiple counts of hijacking a motor vehicle, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, use of a firearm during commission of a felony, and credit card fraud, according to Carlos Campos, spokesman for Atlanta police.
The crime spree began April 21 with the theft of a 1998 Honda Accord on Fairburn Road in southwest Atlanta, Campos said. The next day, that stolen vehicle was used to steal a Volkswagen GTI at gunpoint on Greenwood Avenue in northeast Atlanta, he said.
Also on April 22, the men allegedly carjacked a Dodge Nitro from a gas station in College Park. On May 1, the three allegedly committed a “bump-and-run” carjacking when they bumped a Buick Enclave from behind at West Wesley and Howell Mill roads in Buckhead, according to police.
The victims told police they were traveling through the intersection in a Buick Enclave when they were struck from behind. As the couple got out of the SUV to assess the damage, they were approached by three men who robbed them at gunpoint, according to police. The suspects then left in the couple’s Buick.
Tidwell was arrested May 3 in an unrelated case and has remained in the Fulton County jail since. Houston was arrested May 10, on his birthday, and is also being held without bond. On Tuesday, McKenzie was arrested.
Investigators believe the trio could be responsible for similar crimes, Officer Greg Lyon said Thursday afternoon outside APD headquarters.
“We’re not done with this case yet,” Lyon said.
Tidwell was released from state prison in November after serving 11 months following a Cobb County conviction on terroristic threats and criminal damages, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. McKenzie served about seven months of a 10-year sentence in state prison in 2010 after being convicted on aggravated assault, theft and robbery charges in Fulton County, records show.
Information about Houston’s criminal history was not immediately available.
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