Three recent carjackings near Morehouse University and a shooting that injured a Clark Atlanta University student are not related, Atlanta police said Thursday.
“Further investigation has determined that we can confidently say today we do not believe any of these four incidents are related, or being committed by the same individuals,” Carlos Campos, Atlanta police spokesman, said in an emailed statement. “We have developed promising leads in at least one of the cases, and anticipate making an arrest soon. Investigators continue to diligently pursue leads in the remaining cases.”
Carjackings in the city are down this year compared to 2017, Sgt. John Chafee said Wednesday. But the latest crimes have officers on alert because in all three carjacking cases, the suspects had guns, and two of the victims were college students.
Two Morehouse students and a Lyft driver are the victims of the latest carjackings, according to police. Stolen vehicles in two of the cases were later found, but a third car had not been found Wednesday afternoon, hours after the latest crime. The recent carjackings have all happened in the early-morning hours, between 2:30 a.m. and 4 a.m., police said.
In a separate incident one week ago, Daeja Craddick told police a woman shot her as she drove through the intersection of Lawton Street and Lucile Avenue, near the Clark Atlanta campus. She lost control of her Acura sedan when she was hit, causing her to jump a curb and crash. Craddick’s parents said she is paralyzed.
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Investigators believe Craddick was targeted, but have not released information about a possible motive.
“Please know the department is committed to ensuring a safe environment for students, residents and others in the Atlanta University Center area,” Campos said. “We have devoted additional resources to the area in an effort to immediately stem these crimes, and are working closely with our law enforcement partners on campus.”
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