Crime Runs in Alleged Phipps Plaza Carjacker's Family

The 17-year-old suspect in a brutal carjacking in Phipps Plaza’s parking lot on Aug. 4 has a history of crime, police say. It turns out his parents have a similar history.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in 2009, Steve Spinger Jr.’s father was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in a multi-state narcotics trafficking operation based out of Snellville. Spinger’s mother was sentenced to a three-year prison term for her role in the same operation.

Prosecutors and court documents allege that Steve Spinger Sr. was responsible for distributing multiple kilo amounts of cocaine throughout South Carolina, Washington DC, and Baltimore.

The younger Spinger is accused of attacking a woman who was returning to her car from a Phipps Plaza restaurant just after midnight on Aug. 4. Spinger and accomplice severely beat the woman, and threatened to kill her unless she surrendered the keys to her BMW. The stolen vehicle was discovered in Stone Mountain a week later.

Atlanta police arrested Spinger for his alleged participation in the carjacking on Aug. 14.

Spinger is also a suspect in three similar crimes which occurred in late July. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution cites a police spokesman who says Spigner was involved in a July 5 attack in the Edgewood Retail District which saw a woman punched in the head and her Mercedes-Benz ML350 stolen. Two days later, Spigner and the newly-stolen Mercedes were allegedly involved in a robbery where the victim was hit in the face.

Police say that five days later, Spigner carjacked another person on Moreland Avenue, this time threatening the victim with a gun.

Spigner has been charged with two counts of hijacking a motor vehicle, two counts of robbery by force, two counts of battery, and a count of aggravated battery. He is being held in the DeKalb County jail and should appear in court on Friday.