Five teenagers arrested Friday after a chase that ended on Ga. 400 have been linked to 38 car break-ins in Forsyth County, authorities said.
Forsyth County sheriff’s deputies announced the charges against the five on Monday. The suspects range in age from 13 to 18.
The group was chased in two vehicles into north Fulton County after they were spotted by deputies near the Cherokee-Forsyth county line. The vehicles were suspected in multiple car break-ins early Friday morning in the Evans Farms subdivision in Cumming.
RELATED: 5 teens in custody after chase down Ga. 400, manhunt
Cherokee County deputies first attempted to stop the vehicles, which were reported stolen, before Forsyth County took the lead in the resulting pursuit, authorities said. Two teens in one vehicle were quickly taken into custody, but it took a helicopter and K-9s to find the other three after a crash on Ga. 400 near Windward Parkway and a manhunt through an Alpharetta apartment complex.
The sheriff’s office on Monday released dashcam video of the chase.
Jobari Wise, 17, of Forest Park, and Christopher Alexander Avery, 18, of Atlanta, were taken to the Forsyth County jail Friday. Rodney Bernard Ooten, 18, of Atlanta, was later booked into the jail after he was treated for a K-9 bite.
All three are being held without bond on more than three dozen charges each, including 38 counts of entering auto and two counts of theft by receiving stolen property related to the alleged vehicle thefts.
Wise and Avery have pending charges in other jurisdictions. Wise, who authorities said was one of the drivers, also faces a slew of traffic-related charges.
Two juveniles, ages 13 and 15, are being held in the county’s youth detention center. Details about their charges were not released.
Both Cherokee and Forsyth sheriff’s offices credited the arrests to their ongoing collaboration. Cherokee County sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Jay Baker told AJC.com his agency has created a special detail to combat recent car break-ins, and the two frequently share information.
“This isn’t your teenage kids that live in the neighborhood going through stealing CDs and phone chargers,” Baker said. “This seems to be more organized.”
Forsyth County detectives are looking into the possibility that one or more of the suspects has possible gang ties.
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