Nearly two years after an Akron, Ohio, woman was shot and killed in her car while running errands with her grandmother, the man police believe is responsible was arrested Tuesday in Sandy Springs.
U.S. marshals arrested 19-year-old Adarus Macio Black with the assistance of the North Metro SWAT team, officials confirmed.
Black had been on the run since June 2020 following the shooting death of 18-year-old Na’Kia Crawford at an intersection in Akron. Black was 17 years old at the time.
Crawford’s grandmother was seated in the front passenger seat of a white Chevrolet Malibu, according to Akron police. Witnesses at the time told police they saw another vehicle pull up alongside the Malibu and a suspect fire several rounds, striking Crawford multiple times. Her grandmother was uninjured.
The case initially drew national attention when early reports suggested the suspect was white, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Police later determined it was a case of mistaken identity.
The case was featured on Investigation Discovery’s “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” in which detectives revealed Black and Crawford did not know one another and that Black was allegedly looking for another white Malibu. According to investigators, Black had allegedly been in an argument earlier that day with people he believed to be driving a car similar to Crawford’s.
Authorities had been searching for Black, following leads all over Ohio and into Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee, according to a U.S. Marshals Service news release. Recently, investigators found information that Black had been living in Atlanta under a fake name.
Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force members were able to identify Black as he left an apartment in the 100 block of Greyfield Lane in Sandy Springs, the news release states.
Black was arrested following a traffic stop. Officers pulled an “AR type rifle” from inside his jacket, according to body cam footage of the arrest that Sandy Springs police released Wednesday night.
Black said “you got me” as an officer asked for his name while taking him into custody. He will remain in Georgia until he can be extradited to Ohio.
“Members of the task force and the Akron Police Department never gave up on this case,” U.S. marshal Pete Elliott said in a statement. “They knew that this suspect couldn’t hide forever, and we knew we would have him in custody. This arrest will not bring Ms. Crawford back to her family, but hopefully they find some peace knowing this suspect is behind bars.”
About the Author
