A man suspected of being involved in two East Point shootings was arrested by authorities Friday.
Police identified Deshante Phillips, 24, as the triggerman in a Jan. 22 drive-by as well as a shooting near the East Point MARTA station eight days later.
Phillips was taken into custody Friday after he wrecked his car near Roosevelt Highway while trying to escape officers, MARTA police said in a news release.
A department spokesperson said two counts of aggravated assault, reckless conduct and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony are pending against Phillips.
According to details provided in the release, both alleged incidents were mid-afternoon shootings that occurred along Main Street in downtown East Point. Investigators said a man was seen hanging out the window of a black Lexus shooting at someone near on Main Street near White Way during the Jan. 22 incident.
Shots erupted again Jan. 30 when someone opened fire near the MARTA station on Main Street little more than a block south of the first shooting, police said. Witnesses reported seeing a black car that resembled the Lexus involved in the prior incident.
MARTA police worked with detectives from the East Point Police Department because the cases seemed related, police said. They quickly determined Phillips as a culprit in both shootings.
Investigators spotted Phillips’ car Friday. When police tried to stop him, he fled and quickly wrecked the vehicle at the corner of Roosevelt Highway and Delano Road, according to Friday’s release. Police said Phillips and another man jumped out of the car and fled on foot. Police captured Phillips after an “extended foot pursuit,” authorities said. They recovered a stolen gun and marijuana.
The passenger escaped officers, but police have tentatively identified him. He could face charges, according to investigators.
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