400 cars broken into, 15 stolen during spree, Georgia cops say. Ring leader arrested

Police have arrested a 22-year-old Georgia man who they say is the ringleader of a crew that broke into more than 400 vehicles this summer.

The East Point man is accused of leading a group “that has been tormenting citizens of Gwinnett County and the Metro Atlanta area since May,” the Gwinnett County Police Department wrote in a Sept. 7 news release.

His arrest ends a multi-agency search that began when Gwinnett County police say they identified him as the group’s leader earlier in the year. Police say the group is responsible for 400 vehicle break-ins and more than 15 vehicles stolen in Gwinnett County.

The crime spree occurred nearly every other night throughout the summer, according to the release. Police say they gathered enough evidence to connect the leader to 30 crimes in one night alone.

On June 22, the day of the spree, an officer was responding to a call of a motor vehicle entry when a call came in about a similar crime on the the same street, according to an incident report. Before the officer went to the first location, two other reports of motor vehicle entries had been called in.

Gwinnett County Jail records show the 22-year-old was booked Aug. 31 and has been charged with 30 counts related to entering a motor vehicle or theft.

“Detectives will be seeking indictment on hundreds of more charges,” Gwinnett police said.

Gwinnett County is located just outside Atlanta.

This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 1:06 PM with the headline "400 cars broken into, 15 stolen during spree, Georgia cops say. Ring leader arrested."