One of two suspects accused of killing a 22-year-old mentally challenged man in Marietta has been arrested, police said Tuesday.
Abdul Malik Griffin, 20, was arrested late Monday at a Powder Springs address and booked into the Cobb County jail, where he was being held late Tuesday without bond, booking records showed. He has been charged with murder, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Investigators believe Griffin and a co-conspirator, whose name has not been released, contacted Victory Cab from the Hospitality Inn on Delk Road shortly after 12:30 a.m. Feb. 18, according to an arrest warrant. The two customers requested a ride to the St. Augustine apartments on Franklin Road, according to police.
The cab driver’s 22-year-old mentally challenged son was in the front passenger seat, Marietta police said. But after the ride to the apartments, Griffin and the unnamed suspect then robbed and assaulted Tomas Arriola and his son, who has the same name.
“While said accused (Griffin) was beating and robbing the driver, his co-conspirator seated beside him shot victim Tomas Arriola with a black automatic handgun,” the warrant states. “Tomas Arriola died as a result of his injury.”
An arrest warrant was issued for Griffin two days later. But he eluded capture until late Monday, when he was arrested by Cobb deputies and the U.S. Marshals, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office said.
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