4 teens, including 2 with murder warrants, arrested after DeKalb cops spot stolen car

Four suspects, including two accused of murder, were arrested in DeKalb County on Wednesday after police spotted a stolen vehicle (pictured).

Credit: DeKalb County Police Department

Credit: DeKalb County Police Department

Four suspects, including two accused of murder, were arrested in DeKalb County on Wednesday after police spotted a stolen vehicle (pictured).

When police tried to stop a stolen vehicle Wednesday, the four teenagers inside took off running.

It turns out two of them were wanted on murder charges from a robbery and shooting earlier this month, and all four were taken into custody after a brief chase, authorities said.

The suspects, whose names have not been released, were stopped about 3 p.m. near Ember and Candler roads, DeKalb County police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent told AJC.com. When officers approached the vehicle, the occupants got out and ran to the nearby Economy Hotel, where they were arrested.

Two of them were wanted in connection with a March 17 shooting that killed Tavorrace Butts, 26, of Atlanta, authorities said. DeKalb police declined to release their names, citing a “very active” investigation, but Vincent confirmed one of the murder suspects is an adult in their late teens while the other is a juvenile in their mid-teens.

According to a police report, officers were called to Glen Hollow Circle about 12:45 p.m. and found Butts lying at the entrance of the Life at Glen Hollow apartment complex. Two witnesses told investigators they heard gunshots and saw Butts fall to the ground.

He was shot twice, once in his upper right torso and once in his lower back, the report said. Two shell casings were recovered from the scene, and police said they came from different weapons.

Butts was conscious when police arrived, but died the next day at Grady Memorial Hospital. Neither he nor anyone else at the scene cooperated with police, the report said.

All four teens were charged with theft by receiving, while the two shooting suspects face additional charges of murder, Vincent said.

On Friday, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office announced that a third suspect, 17-year-old Staci Adams, was arrested and charged in Butts’ death.

Staci Adams

Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office

icon to expand image

Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office

He faces one count of felony murder and one count of armed robbery, records show. He is being without bond at the DeKalb County Jail.

No other information was released.

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