Gwinnett County authorities are attempting to identify and apprehend two male suspects accused of stealing a vehicle in Norcross, then setting it on fire in Suwanee.
The investigation started around 6:40 a.m. on April 6 when, according to Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge, Norcross Police where called to a QuikTrip station on Beaver Ruin Road in response to a stolen vehicle call.
"The owner left the vehicle, a gold 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, running in a parking space and went inside the store," Rutledge explained. "When he returned a few minutes later the vehicle was gone."
Surveillance video later obtained by Norcross Police Detectives and Gwinnett Fire Investigators would show the two suspects loitering outside the store before eventually leaving in the stolen vehicle.
Roughly two hours after Norcross Police were notified of the crime, Rutledge said Gwinnett County Police were called to Walnut Grove Way and Taylor Road in Suwanee on a suspicious persons call.
"A witness reported seeing two black males wearing hoodies standing next to a vehicle with a flaming rag stuck in the gas tank," Rutledge said. "The witness described one male as wearing a camouflage hoodie and sweat pants, and the other as wearing a blue and white hoodie and gold chain."
Officers arriving on scene found the vehicle on fire in the roadway, and quickly extinguished the flames with a portable fire extinguisher they carried in one of the patrol cars.
Rutledge said police later ran the burned vehicle's tag through the state and national crime information database. The vehicle turned out to be the same one stolen earlier in the day in Norcross.
"The vehicle came back stolen and was impounded and processed by crime scene technicians with the Norcross Police Department," Rutledge added.
If identified and arrested, Rutledge said the pair will likely face charges of felony Auto Theft and Second-Degree Arson.
Anyone with information about the two suspects or about the crimes, are asked to contact the Norcross Police Department at (770) 448-2111 or the Gwinnett Fire Investigations Section at (678) 518-4890.
A reward is being offered in this case. Georgia Arson Control, Inc. offers a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for arson.
The Georgia Arson Control Hotline can be contacted at 1 (800) 282-5804. All tips may be made anonymously.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/4/524091/two-suspects-wanted-after-vehicle-stolen-burned-in-gwinnett-county