Man arrested after his passport was found at murder scene

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County murder suspect is behind bars after police say he came to them trying to report a key piece of evidence missing.

Sanjay Stewartson walked into the front doors of the Lawrenceville Police Department Monday night to report he'd lost his passport at a local store. Within minutes, he'd leave out the back door, in handcuffs.

Police believe he was the man who killed another man at near a gas station about week earlier. Investigators said they found his passport at the murder scene.

On Monday, Stewartson told officer Russell Chatham that he needed a police report in order to get a new passport he said he lost at Walmart. He said he and his wife wanted to go on vacation.

Chatham noticed Stewartson was sweating and his hands were shaking so he became suspicious.

Body cam video showed that Chatham running Stewartson's name and birth date. When his name came back with a murder warrant, Chatham asked for help from another officer.

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As the officer waited for backup, he went into stall mode. He started asking Stewartson about the planned vacation to Jamaica.

It was long enough to keep Stewartson in the station until another officer arrived in the lobby. He was then arrested.

“I don't know who was more surprised, the suspect or officer Chatham,” said Lawrenceville Police Chief Tim Wallis.

Stewartson is now in the DeKalb County jail.

DeKalb police said the victim in the shooting case has not been identified.

Cox Media Group