Investigators have now charged an Atlanta teenager with a violent armed robbery the day before he is accused of leading police on a chase that resulted in the deaths of two innocent men.
The pursuit and crash that killed Mark Hampton, 43, and Jermaine Jackson, 44, was among the reasons Atlanta police Chief Erika Shields decided to halt all vehicle chases, she said earlier this month. Two 19-year-old men, Marguell Scott and Emmanuel Fambro, were initially both charged with murder in their deaths.
The murder charge against Fambro was later dropped, although he still faces numerous charges related to the Dec. 4 incident.
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The previous day, Scott was implicated in an armed robbery in South Fulton, police in that city said Monday. The victim told police he was delivering fuel to a Citgo on Stonewall Tell Road when he was approached by two men who attempted to rob him at gunpoint.
Shots were fired at the victim, according to investigators. South Fulton police said Scott was identified as a suspect “using various investigative techniques.”
The next 24 hours would prove fateful. At some point the morning of Dec. 4, a Jeep Grand Cherokee was taken in a carjacking at a Wells Fargo ATM. Atlanta police officers spotted the Jeep speeding through southwest Atlanta that afternoon and pursued it when it did not stop.
MORE: 2 charged with murder after chase, crash in SW Atlanta
Scott was behind the wheel when the Jeep ran a red light and slammed into Hampton’s and Jackson’s car at the intersection of Campbellton Road and Lee Street, according to police.
Hampton, a father of five, was on his way to pick up medication for his 11-year-old son who uses a wheelchair, his family said. Jackson had recently moved in with his mother after her cancer diagnosis.
Credit: WSB-TV
Credit: WSB-TV
Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd said in a statement it was “clear they played a cherished and invaluable role in our community.”
Scott is now facing charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in addition to the charges related to the pursuit and deadly crash.
In announcing she would take a closer look at the department’s pursuit policy, Shields cited a broken judicial system. Scott, who has been in custody in Fulton County since the crash, was acquitted of a murder charge during a September trial.
CONTINUING COVERAGE: Atlanta police chief halts all vehicle chases
“I don’t want to see us cost someone their life in pursuit of an auto theft person or burglar, when the courts aren’t even going to hold them accountable,” the police chief said. “How can we justify that? I think that we are better than that.”
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard called the acquittal rare. His office has tried 341 murder cases since 2013, losing just 24, he previously said in an emailed statement.
“What is so troubling is when a defendant receives another chance, as Scott did, and instead chooses to continue a life of crime and ultimately becomes responsible for the tragic deaths of two innocent people,” Howard said.
The new charges bring Scott’s total count to 15. His bond was denied as he awaits consideration by a grand jury.
Fambro, the second teen charged in connection with the case, was freed on a $12,000 bond Dec. 21, records show.
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