One in custody after reported carjacking

On October 26, at approximately 4pm, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received multiple calls reporting a suspicious person in the area of Highway 79 and Spoolmill Road. While deputies were en route, dispatch received an additional call advising that a Black male had stolen a white Kia Soul and was traveling northbound on Highway 79.

Deputies maintained a lookout for the stolen vehicle while responding to the initial suspicious-person call, as it was believed the incidents were related. A short time later, deputies observed a white Kia Soul driven by a Black male near the intersection of Highway 277 and Douglas Ferry Road. A traffic stop was initiated, and the driver matched the description of the suspect involved in the vehicle theft on Highway 79.

Contact was made with the registered owner of the stolen Kia Soul. The victim reported that she was traveling north on Highway 79 when a Black male ran into the roadway, causing her to stop to avoid striking him. The subject approached the vehicle, requesting that she call 911, then immediately told her not to make the call. The victim stated she rolled her window down slightly to communicate, at which point the suspect reached through the window in an attempt to unlock the door. The suspect then jumped onto the hood of the vehicle, continuing to try to gain entry. The victim attempted to drive away but was unsuccessful. The suspect ultimately gained access to the vehicle, at which point the victim was able to escape. The suspect then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle, traveling northbound on Highway 79.

Deputies transported the victim to the location of the traffic stop, where she positively identified the driver as the individual who had taken her vehicle.

Forty-one-year-old Gabriel Antonio Sanders was taken into custody and charged with carjacking without a weapon or firearm. Sanders was transported to the Washington County Jail.