Suspect in Thursday Carjacking Arrested After Standoff, Stolen Camaro Recovered

A Chevrolet Camero stolen in a Thursday carjacking in Tuscaloosa County has been recovered and a suspect arrested after a brief police standoff, according to court records obtained by the Tuscaloosa Thread.

In a deposition filed Friday morning, investigators said the victim in this case was driving his 2010 Camero on Covered Bridge Road in Brookwood early Thursday morning after a late-night shift at work when he was rear-ended by a Nissan sedan.

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The victim told police that he stopped to assess the damage, but when he stepped outside his vehicle, four armed men stepped out of the Nissan and stole his phone and car at gunpoint.

Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's deputies began an immediate investigation, and according to the deposition, two of the carjacking suspects were spotted on surveillance cameras outside a nearby store minutes before the robbery.

Investigators identified one of the men in the video as Mimathi Austin, a 23-year-old Bessemer man and found the Nissan used in the carjacking parked outside his residence there.

Police said Austin gave up and surrendered to police "after a brief stand-off" at his home. The suspect then cooperated with investigators, according to the document.

"While on scene Kimathi wanted to make things right and advised investigators where the Camero was," the deposition reads.

The vehicle was recovered, and officers also seized multiple weapons including two handguns from the residence.

Austin was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle -- all felonies. He was booked in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where his combined bond was set at $120,000.

His mugshot was not publicly available at the time of this report. Stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread for updates on the other three suspects in this case as they develop.