6 charged in string of carjackings

ATLANTA — Authorities have charged six people in a string of carjackings across metro Atlanta over the last year.

Channel 2's Ryan Young was there when Atlanta police held a news conference to make the announcement Friday. Five people have been arrested, and a warrant has been issued for the sixth suspect. Atlanta police Lt. Paul Guerrucci said officers began linking the cases together in January.

"Once we recognized a pattern, we immediately went into action with that information," Guerrucci said.

Officers worked with several other agencies, including Cobb County police, DeKalb County police and the Georgia State Patrol.

Channel 2 has covered several of the crimes the suspects were pinned to, including an armed carjacking outside northwest Atlanta's Northside branch library and an incident on 11th street in midtown Atlanta that police believe may have developed into a shooting outside a Walmart in Gwinnett County.

The suspects in custody are Ladarious Gibbs, 21, Derek Turner, 19, Brandon Washington, 21, Andre Clark, 24 and Raphael Banks, 24, and Ronald Washington, 21.

Atlanta police said the investigation is ongoing.

"We do believe there are other incidents that may be connected," Guerrucci said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Atlanta Crimestoppers tip line at 404-577-8477.

"We've taken several violent offenders off our streets," Atlanta Police Chief George Turner said. "And we celebrate that today."

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WSBTV