Suspected Gang Members Charged With Kennesaw Burglary

KENNESAW, GA — Three people have been arrested for their part in a 2018 burglary in Kennesaw which also uncovered their gang ties.

On Aug. 23, a joint investigation with the Kennesaw Police Department, the GBI’s Gang Taskforce, and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision resulted in the recovery of a stolen handgun and the arrest of two individuals: Michael Ulysses Morgan, 19, and Jamarcus Purnell, 21, both of Atlanta. The United States Marshals Service also assisted. Antwon Mark Palmer, 21, also of Atlanta, was arrested on Aug. 19 in connection with this case.

These arrests are the culmination of an investigation that began with an incident on Oct. 1, 2018 when the GBI was requested by Kennesaw Police to conduct an officer involved shooting investigation.

Officers with the Kennesaw Police Department observed a burglary in progress at the Texaco gas station at 3870 Moon Station Road in Kennesaw. The officers confronted the subjects identified as several black males.

Initial information indicates that the officers exchanged gunfire with the subjects, the GBI said in 2018. Five masked subjects fled the gas station in a stolen black Dodge Charger with a stolen license plate, and an additional Kennesaw officer chased the vehicle before he lost sight of the car.

The vehicle nearly struck one of the officers as it fled the scene, the GBI said, but no officers were injured in the incident.

The vehicle was later located on the Kennesaw State University Campus. A cash box which had been stolen from the Texaco was recovered inside the vehicle, along with a gun, mask, gloves, bolt cutters, and two crowbars.

This incident was similar in nature to many incidents which occurred in the Metro Atlanta area since April 2018.

Through the course of the joint investigation, it was determined that the five suspects in this investigation are associated with the criminal street gang known as 30 Deep, a well-documented criminal street gang known for committing “smash and grabs” in northern Georgia and in the surrounding states since the late 2000s, the GBI said.

To date, five individuals have been arrested and charged with Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, Burglary – second degree, Possession of Burglary Tools, Theft by Taking, Theft by Receiving –stolen vehicle, possession of firearm by a convicted felon, Reckless Driving, and Fleeing and Attempting to Elude (Felony) in connection with the case: Vernard O’Neal, Montarius Daniels, Antwon Palmer, Jamarcus Purnell, and Michael Morgan.

The investigation continues, the GBI said.