6 suspects indicted, including 2 minors, in organized crime ring linked to Baltimore carjackings.
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/organized-crime-ring-indictments-baltimore-carjackings/46991997
BALTIMORE —
The Maryland attorney general and Baltimore police announced indictments of six people who are believed to be part of an organized crime ring responsible for a string of crimes across the city.
Investigators said the suspects — two of whom are minors — are charged with multiple criminal counts, including participation in a criminal gang, first-degree murder, armed carjacking, armed robbery, assault, burglary and firearms-related offenses.
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The attorney general’s office identified the adult suspects as follows. All are from Baltimore.
Anecio Rodriguez (156 counts, including murder)
Kevin Mills (86 counts, including seven carjackings and attempted carjackings)
Lovelle Little (269 counts, including 19 carjackings and attempted carjackings)
Twan Ellis (67 counts, including two armed carjackings)
One of the juvenile suspects is too young to be tried in adult court.
“An additional youth was too young to be charged as an adult with the co-defendants, so that individual is being handled in juvenile court,” said Katie Dorian, chief of the criminal division of the attorney general’s office.
Officials said the suspects are responsible for a woman’s killing during an attempted carjacking in 2022. Since then, police said investigators have linked the suspects to at least 35 carjackings, eight attempted carjackings, two attempted murders and several commercial robberies. In all, it’s believed there are more than 80 victims.
“These crime endangered residents and instilled fear in communities throughout Baltimore City and the surrounding areas,” Attorney General Anthony Brown said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“Every single one of these counts in these indictments reflects a victim and their family who endured the impact of their actions,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.
Video below: Watch the attorney general’s news conference as it streamed live
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Baltimore police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials started investigating after the Nov. 3, 2022, killing of Delaka Augins, who was shot during an attempted carjacking in the 2500 block of Brookfield Avenue in Baltimore’s Reservoir Hill neighborhood.
According to investigators, the gun used to kill Augins was linked by ballistics evidence to multiple incidents, including carjackings, non-fatal shootings, shots fired and other violent crimes.
Investigators reviewed numerous surveillance videos and witness statements, as well as other investigative means to identify the suspects. Investigators said the organization used vehicles that had just been stolen to commit additional carjackings, robberies and similarly violent offenses. Ultimately, investigators connected the organization to violent incidents from April 2022 through August 2023.
In several instances, investigators said the suspects targeted their victims.
“The individuals target victims who had just parked their cars and were exiting their vehicles, are walking to and from their homes, or getting gas. They would take the victims’ property and flee in the stolen vehicle,” Dorian said. “The defendants would then use the stolen vehicles to commit other violent acts, and on many occasions, the group would use the stolen vehicle to block in a vehicle that was driving or had just parked in order to carjack the new vehicle.”
On Oct. 29, 2022, the organization tried to steal a BMW while the victim was pumping gas on Reisterstown Road. On Dec. 10, 2022, another intended carjacking victim was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking on Rosalie Road. The victims were filling up their gas tanks or warming up their vehicles before going to work in the morning when the attackers struck.
Officials also linked the organization to several commercial burglaries and robberies. During the investigation, officials executed search and seizure warrants, which led to the recovery of guns, identifying documents belonging to various victims, clothes worn by the suspects, and numerous keys and key fobs that were consistent with the types of vehicles that were stolen.
The indictments allege the crew had a base of operations and storage facilities, two hubs where they stashed carjacked vehicles and other stolen items.
The suspects are accused of posing for photos with the stolen items that were posted for sale on social media sites, including Facebook Marketplace.