SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — Two teenage suspects are facing dozens of charges after investigators say a string of vehicle break-ins escalated into gunfire.
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On June 27, around 5:30 a.m. Spalding County deputies were called to the 100 block of Westridge Drive after receiving reports of vehicle break-ins and an aggravated assault.
Investigators said the suspects were inside one of the vehicles when the homeowner came outside to investigate a noise. During the confrontation, one of the suspects fired three shots at the homeowner before both suspects drove off in a vehicle that had already been stolen earlier that night, deputies said.
Authorities said eight vehicle break-ins, two vehicle thefts and an aggravated assault were reported during the crime spree.
As investigators headed to the scene, deputies found the suspects’ abandoned vehicle in the Wills Walk subdivision off Vineyard Road.
Using an electronic device stolen during one of the break-ins, investigators began tracking the suspects. Around the same time, a resident called 911 to report suspicious teenagers walking through the neighborhood.
Deputies found two teens matching the suspects’ descriptions in the 1000 block of Vineyard Road, not far from where the stolen vehicle had been abandoned.
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One of the teens was identified as the suspected shooter based on his clothing and backpack, investigators said. During a search following his arrest, deputies recovered a pistol that had been stolen from one of the vehicles targeted earlier that morning.
Over the next 24 hours, investigators linked the pair to a series of vehicle break-ins that had occurred during the previous week.
Authorities identified the suspects as 18-year-old Leon McCampbell of Griffin and a 16-year-old boy from Griffin.
McCampbell is charged with:
- Aggravated assault
- Four counts of theft by taking a motor vehicle
- 18 counts of entering an auto
- Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
The 16-year-old faces:
- Four counts of theft by taking a motor vehicle
- 18 counts of entering an auto
- Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
McCampbell remains in the Spalding County Jail, while the other teen was taken to the Martha Glaze Regional Youth Detention Center in Clayton County.
Sheriff Darrell Dix said investigators believe the motive was straightforward.
“These suspects were stealing because they wanted stuff without paying for it. It’s that simple,” Dix said.
The sheriff also said that the encounter could have ended much differently.
“They are blessed that they didn’t run across an armed homeowner who shot back,” Dix said.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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