CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (WJW) – A man now faces federal charges for his alleged role in two carjackings that took place within just a few hours from one another.
The two carjacking scenes played out similarly in both Cuyahoga Falls and Solon, and court documents detail how the suspect was caught.
According to court documents, victims in both cases reported they were rear-ended and when they got out of their vehicles, two suspects brandished handguns and demanded they turn over their vehicles.
The first incident was reported on August 9 at about 11:30 a.m. in Cuyahoga Falls. A woman told police she was driving northbound on 3rd Street when a dark-colored vehicle gently made contact with
the rear bumper of her vehicle.
The victim said she exited her Jeep to assess the damage. That’s when she was immediately approached by two men. She told police one suspect was holding a pistol while the other ran directly to the passenger side of her vehicle. She said both men repeatedly asked her, “Where are your keys?”
The victim told the suspects that she had left her keys inside the vehicle. Both suspects then hopped inside the victim’s vehicle and drove off.
That same day, at about 3:30 p.m., Solon Police also were called to the scene of a carjacking.
This one took place near Glenallen Avenue and Inwood Road. The victim told police he was driving a 2022 Volvo sedan when he was rear-ended. As the victim, exited his vehicle to speak with the other driver he said he was immediately confronted by two men with a gun who demanded his car keys.
The victim said the men were driving what appeared to be a Kia crossover.
The two suspects then hopped into his vehicle and took off.
According to court documents, police were able to track the Volvo using OnStar tracking services.
Garfield Heights Police caught up with one of the suspects as he was backing into a parking spot at a barbershop near the corner of E. 94th Street and Garfield Boulevard.
The suspect then ran from officers, but police eventually found him hiding under boxes in a staircase of a residence.
The suspect has been identified as 19-year-old Thomas Jaylon Donegan Williams.
According to court documents, Williams originally admitted to the carjacking in Solon, but denied his role in the Cuyahoga Falls scenario and told police he only had that victim’s credit card because others involved had given it to him to put gas in a vehicle.
Later, according to documents, police discovered a video on Williams’ cell phone that showed him and another suspect riding in a Jeep five minutes after the Cuyahoga Falls carjacking. The video allegedly showed the suspects with guns, including an assault rifle-type firearm. Police also said the video showed specifics of the Jeep’s interior.
Williams is now facing several federal charges including possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and carjacking.