Man wanted in out-of-state homicide spotted in stolen car, caught in Marietta

An Illinois man who was wanted by U.S. Marshals in connection with a homicide was caught in Marietta after being spotted in a stolen car, leading to a brief chase, authorities said.

Leron Harris, 25, of Springfield, was spotted by a license-plate reading camera near the intersection of Delk Road and Franklin Gateway on Friday, police told Channel 2 Action News. A police officer pulled him over shortly after.

“The driver of that vehicle with the stolen tag is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service in relation to questioning from a murder that took place in the Midwest,” Marietta police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy told Channel 2.

Harris didn’t comply with the officers’ orders and took off from the traffic stop, crashing two blocks away, McPhilamy said. He was immediately arrested.

The body camera video of the arrest was released, which showed many officers responding to take Harris into custody.

Inside the vehicle, officers found multiple guns, more than 150 rounds of ammunition and marijuana, according to an incident report obtained by Channel 2.

Police said it’s lucky no one was injured during Harris’ attempted escape.

“It’s a very busy area,” McPhilamy told the news station. “You have a lot of traffic going in both directions. We are very fortunate that no one was hurt.”

No information on the Midwest homicide has been released, but U.S. Marshals are heading to the Cobb County Jail to question Harris, Channel 2 reported. He remains in jail without bond, since a judge deemed him a flight risk.

In addition to his out-of-state holds, he faces nine charges in Cobb, including six felonies, jail records show. Those include attempting to elude police, marijuana possession and four firearm-related charges.