WILMINGTON, Delaware – Delaware State Police have arrested four men involved in a crime spree across the state and Pennsylvania in a scheme to lure drivers from their vehicles. Fox 29 reports that on April 14, around 6:30 a.m., troopers responded to Marsh Road and Naamans Road for a suspicious vehicle. The report came from a 911 call where a driver said she was being “brake-checked’ by a black Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Minutes later, dispatchers say they received another 911 call for a collision in another area.
In that incident a driver was rear-ended by the Jeep. The suspect driving the Jeep got out of the vehicle, approached the victim to look at her and then returned to the car to flee the scene. That victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to state police.
Shortly after 7 a.m., another 911 call came in for a suspicious vehicle where a 911 caller reported a black Jeep Grand Cherokee was tailgating her. The Jeep eventually fled the area.
At 7:10 a.m., Delaware and Pennsylvania State Police responded to another motor vehicle collision in the area near the Pennsylvania state line. Law enforcement authorities say an investigation revealed a woman was rear-ended by a black Jeep Grand Cherokee before driving a short distance into Delaware.
The Jeep also pulled over and a suspect got out, approached the victim and held her at gunpoint, forcing her to get in the front passenger seat of her car, where she was told to take off her clothes and was sexually assaulted, per police.
A Wilmington Police Officer saw the Jeep parked next to to a maroon-colored Nissan Pathfinder at the Royal Farms on South Market Street in Wilmington, where police say the suspects appeared to be changing vehicles.
The officer tried to stop the Jeep, but the car fled into nearby Pennsylvania and got lost in a pursuit, officials say.
Just before 9:30 a.m., a Delaware State trooper responded to the area of I-95 and Marsh Road for a hit-and-run involving the Nissan Pathfinder. A 911 caller told authorities that a passenger in the vehicle pointed a gun at her and fled the scene, police say. The license plate information revealed that the car was stolen.
State police then saw the Nissan traveling into Delaware from Pennsylvania and began pursuing it on I-95.
The suspect driving the vehicle lost control, causing it to crash and become disabled on the off-ramp of the Concord Pike, police say.
The driver, later identified as 21-year-old David Hinson of Bear, Delaware, and the passenger, 21-year-old Michael Caldwell of Wilmington, Delaware, were arrested after the pursuit, according to troopers.
The investigation led police to 19-year-old Mahkiya Powell of Wilmington, Delaware and 24-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthrews of Wilmington, Delaware.
According to Delaware State Police, the suspects face various charges:
- Hinson has been charged with receiving stolen property, resisting arrest with force, leaving the scene of a collision and related charges
- Caldwell has been charged with aggravated menacing, possession of a firearm and resisting arrest
- Powell has been charged with tampering with physical evidence, conspiracy and theft
- McNair-Matthews has been charged with rape, kidnappings robbery, possession a firearm and related offenses
