After previously pleading not guilty, a man accused of a monthlong crime spree in Atlanta, which included robbing a Beltline jogger at gunpoint on Memorial Day, changed his answer Wednesday.
Quantavius Rashard Walker, 21, pleaded guilty to the Beltline armed robbery and several other crimes that took place in May 2019, receiving a 20-year prison sentence as a result, Fulton County Judge Henry Newkirk said.
Walker was charged in four armed robbery cases within a four-day period, all of which were merged into one trial to free up court calendar space, AJC.com previously reported.
RELATED: Arrest made in Beltline jogger's attack; suspect accused of other felonies
The first of those incidents took place May 27 about 7 p.m., when he approached a woman who was jogging in the 1100 block of Harwell Street. She said a man was trying to speak to her while she was running, which she ignored, but he then tapped on her shoulder.
“I turned around and he had a gun out,” the woman, who asked Channel 2 Action News to remain anonymous, said at the time. “I don’t even know if he even said anything. I just said, ‘What do you want?’”
Walker wanted her phone, money and keys, which she gave to him before he ran off. Police later used surveillance cameras to identify Walker as the suspect, releasing several photos of him in hopes of making an arrest.
RELATED: Man accused of robbing Beltline jogger ID'd
Credit: Crime Stoppers Atlanta
Credit: Crime Stoppers Atlanta
Even though he was arrested the following week in Decatur, he had already been accused of three more armed robberies, including two carjackings.
He was tied to an attempted carjacking May 29 and a successful carjacking the next day, which also landed two of his accomplices in prison. A 16-year-old juvenile received a 10-year prison sentence last month, while Jesse Lee Ashford, 23, spent two months in prison for his part in the scheme.
Walker and the juvenile stole a man’s 2020 BMW at gunpoint while also robbing the victim of his credit cars and other personal belongings. Ashford used the stolen credit cards to purchase several items, including pizza, cigarettes and gasoline.
MORE: Juvenile sentenced in carjacking; case tied to robbery of Beltline jogger, 2 others
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Ahead of his trial, which was scheduled for next week, Walker pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, hijacking a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and armed robbery, Newkirk said.
In addition to the prison time, Walker will have to serve five years on probation.
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