Second Phipps Plaza Carjacking Suspect Arrested

The second suspect in an Aug. 4 assault and carjacking in the Phipps Plaza parking lot is now in custody, authorities say.

WSB-TV reports that 17-year-old Ethan Gathright was arrested on Tuesday in DeKalb County by the U.S. Marshal’s Counter Gang Unit. He joins his alleged co-conspirator, 17-year-old Steven Spinger, who was arrested on Aug. 14.

Just after midnight on Aug. 4, a woman was returning to her car from the Twist Restaurant and Tapas Bar in Buckhead’s Phipps Plaza shopping mall when she was accosted by two black males, now thought to be Spinger and Gathright.

The two then proceeded to attack the woman, beating her to the ground while demanding the keys to her 2007 silver BMW 5 Series. One of the assailants allegedly threatened to “f***ing shoot” the woman if she did not comply.

Once they got the woman’s keys and her purse, the two men sped off in the BMW and were last seen heading west on Peachtree Road. The car was recovered in Stone Mountain earlier this month.

Both Spinger and Gathright are accused of a similar crime which was committed on July 5 on Caroline Street. In this incident, a woman was allegedly punched in the head and her Mercedes-Benz ML350 was stolen.

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 made his first court appearance in DeKalb County on Friday.