The following was taken from a press release distributed by the Gwinnett County Police Department on June 5, 2024:
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – After an investigation spanning more than a year, seven men have been charged with the violation of Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) for their alleged involvement in 492 entering autos and motor vehicle thefts in Gwinnett County between November 2022, and March 2024.
This investigation began in November 2022, after investigators noticed a trend in work vans being forcibly entered during the night to steal high-end paint sprayers and tools. In February of 2023, detectives arrested Myles Cameron (22 years old, Fairburn) for multiple counts of entering auto related to these cases.
Investigators knew that more suspects were involved in breaking into the vehicles but were not able to identify them when they arrested Cameron. In June of 2023, investigators once again noticed a trend of entering autos and motor vehicle thefts throughout Gwinnett County.
These incidents spanned many nights and often included numerous vehicles being entered. The suspects often used stolen cars during these crimes to hide their identity and move from one crime scene to another.
Detectives were able to locate many of these stolen vehicles after they were used and discarded by the suspects. Detectives and Crime Scene Specialists meticulously processed each vehicle for evidence when they were collected.
On July 19, 2023, while the crew was breaking into vehicles on Traymore Drive in Norcross, they were confronted by a homeowner. One of the suspects responded to the homeowner by shooting at him.
The homeowner was not hit, but the incident highlighted the fact that the suspects were willing to use violence to escape capture. The crew continued breaking into and stealing vehicles throughout the month of August 2023.
Detectives continued to investigate the crew of suspects by processing evidence and sort through many hours of surveillance video from crime scenes. On August 31, with the help of the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office and the US Marshals Office, investigators were able to identify and arrest Javaris Gamble (23 years old, East Point) for his involvement in many of the break-ins.
After he was arrested, many of the suspects that were seen on surveillance with Gamble prior to his arrest continued to enter and steal vehicles throughout Gwinnett County. These incidents continued into March of 2024.
Detectives sorted through phone records, social media, and surveillance during this time. They also responded to scenes and collected evidence left behind.
The committed work by detectives eventually led them to identify the other men involved in these incidents. Those men were Randy Martinez (24 years old, East Point), Kylijah Yates (23 years old, East Point), Giovanni Bell (27 years old, Conley), Emmanuel Chavarria-Ornelas (24 years old, East Point), and Kejuan Miliam (24 years old, East Point).
Some of these suspects were arrested and investigators located evidence of their involvement in subsequent searches. After many months of investigating the hundreds of vehicles that were damaged, entered, or stolen by these suspects, detectives were able obtain warrants for each member of the group.
The suspects involved in this case were organized and planned many of their crimes prior to committing them. Their level of organization even included operating a safe house in the East Point area of Fulton County, where they stored stolen guns, cash, and other items.
After receiving the warrants for these suspects from investigators, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office indicted all seven of them under the RICO Act for conspiring to break into or steal 492 cars between November 2022 and March 2024. They were also charged with aggravated assault for shooting at the homeowner on Traymore Drive on July 19,2023.
This investigation spanned many months and used fingerprint analysis, DNA recovered at crime scenes, surveillance videos, and cell phone data. The Gwinnett County Police Department is thankful to all the agencies that assisted with this case, to include the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Norcross Police Department, Duluth Police Department, Lilburn Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gwinnett County District Attorney.
At this time, Bell and Miliam have not been arrested. If anyone has any information to share in this case, please contact GCPD detectives at 770.513.5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404.577.TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
