Teen, Juvenile Charged in Spalding County Crime Spree That Ended With Homeowner Shot At
GRIFFIN, Ga. — An 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old juvenile have been arrested in connection with a series of vehicle break-ins, vehicle thefts, and an aggravated assault in Spalding County after one of the suspects allegedly fired at a homeowner who confronted them.
According to the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, to the 100 block of Westridge Drive after receiving reports of entering autos and an aggravated assault.
Investigators said the suspects were inside a vehicle at a residence when the homeowner went outside to investigate a noise. During the confrontation, one of the suspects allegedly fired three shots at the homeowner before fleeing in a vehicle that had previously been stolen.
The homeowner was not injured.
Deputies determined that eight entering auto incidents had occurred that morning and that two vehicles had been stolen.
While a criminal investigator was responding, patrol deputies located the suspects’ abandoned vehicle in the Wills Walk subdivision off Vineyard Road.
Investigators also began tracking an electronic device that had been stolen from one of the vehicles.
At about the same time, the Spalding County 911 Center received a report of suspicious teenagers walking through the Wills Walk subdivision.
Deputies located two teens in the 1000 block of Vineyard Road, a short distance from where the abandoned vehicle had been found.
Investigators identified one of the teens as the suspected shooter based on his clothing and backpack. During a search of the backpack following his arrest, deputies recovered a handgun that had been stolen from one of the burglarized vehicles.
Over the next 24 hours, investigators linked the suspects to a string of vehicle break-ins that had occurred during the previous week.
Authorities identified the suspects as:
Leon McCampbell, 18, of Griffin
- One count of Aggravated Assault
- Four counts of Theft by Taking a Motor Vehicle
- Eighteen counts of Entering an Auto
- One count of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime
16-year-old juvenile from Griffin
- Four counts of Theft by Taking a Motor Vehicle
- Eighteen counts of Entering an Auto
- One count of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime
McCampbell remains in the Spalding County Jail, while the juvenile was transported to the Martha Glaze Regional Youth Detention Center in Clayton County.
Sheriff Darrell Dix said the crimes were motivated by theft.
“These suspects were stealing because they wanted stuff without paying for it. It’s that simple,” Dix said. “They are blessed that they didn’t run across an armed homeowner who shot back.”
