Nearly a week after a Clayton County inmate escaped from a gas station near the Atlanta airport, the fugitive was captured about 40 miles away on the opposite side of the metro area.
Devonte Ross managed to escape early Friday morning when his prisoner transport stopped at a QuikTrip on Riverdale Road, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Authorities were forced to search the College Park area a second time within 24 hours after the previous escape and recapture of an Arizona murder suspect who was being transported through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Almost a week after Ross’ escape, he was found at a house in Acworth and taken into custody by U.S. marshals, agency spokesman Frank Lempka told the AJC. Ross’ capture was also announced by the Georgia Department of Corrections on social media.
Ross’ escape Friday caused several Clayton County schools to go on “soft lockdowns” while authorities searched for him in the area. He ran from his transport vehicle with his hands handcuffed in front of him and chains around his waist, authorities said.
Ross was being taken back to the Clayton County Jail after a stint at the Atlanta Transitional Center, a facility where male felons can reacclimate to “responsible citizenship” before the ends of their sentences, according to the GDC website. Ross violated the requirements of his sentence there and was being transferred back to prison, the AJC reported.
The search for Ross began just hours after Arizona murder suspect J’Saan Carlos Strover, 20, was recaptured in the woods near the airport on April 29. Strover was accompanied by two Maricopa County deputies for a planned flight back to Phoenix when he was able to escape.
Strover was first spotted in the woods by a television news reporter covering his escape. The reporter’s tip allowed police to capture the barefoot fugitive a short while later using night vision technology. The Arizona inmate is charged with murder and aggravated assault stemming from a February double shooting that left one man dead and another injured at a Phoenix bar.
About the Author
