Macon Getaway Driver Sentenced to 40 Years for 2022 Thanksgiving Break Robbery Spree

MACON, Ga. – A man who was 15 when prosecutors say he served as a getaway driver during a four-day robbery spree in Macon has been sentenced to 40 years, with 20 years to serve in prison.

Jamarious Tucker pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to charges including armed robbery and robbery by force for his role in the crimes, which occurred during the Bibb County School District’s 2022 Thanksgiving break, according to the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said a group of armed teenagers targeted people at convenience stores, a gas station and a hotel, demanding vehicle keys and vehicles. Three vehicles were taken at gunpoint during the four-day period.

Tucker admitted participating in the theft of three vehicles and a separate robbery at the Walmart on Harrison Road. In each case, prosecutors said Tucker helped approach the victims before driving stolen vehicles away from the scene.

Although Tucker did not personally carry a weapon during the robberies, prosecutors said his actions as a getaway driver made him a participant in the crimes.

Tucker is the ninth of 10 defendants charged in connection with the robbery spree to be convicted. The only remaining defendant, whom prosecutors identify as the alleged gunman, has not pleaded guilty or gone to trial.

The court considered Tucker’s age at the time of the crimes, his role in the robberies and the nature of the offenses when imposing the sentence, according to the district attorney’s office.

Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita R. Howard described the case as a “tragic situation” involving teenagers whose decisions dramatically altered their futures. She said Tucker’s role in transporting the gunman to and from the robberies made him accountable for the crimes.

Assistant Deputy Chief Alveta S. Watkins prosecuted the case. Bibb County Sheriff’s investigators Malcolm Bryant and Coleman Lewis investigated the robbery spree and worked to connect the individual incidents, according to the district attorney’s office.