Police Arrest Suspect in 2 Tuscaloosa Carjackings

A Bessemer man accused of stealing two women's cars at gunpoint in Tuscaloosa last week has been arrested and charged with robbery, police announced Wednesday morning.

Stephane Taylor, a spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said police believe 19-year-old Deantrez Sanders began a night of mayhem around 9 p.m. Thursday night, when he allegedly stopped next to a woman's parked car at the Oliver Lock and Dam and stole her 2004 Honda Accord at gunpoint along with her money, phone and other property.

20 minutes later, a second woman called the police department and reported that while she was pumping gas at a station on 15th Street, Sanders approached and said she had dropped something on the ground. Moments later, he had her at gunpoint and stole her phone and purse before leaving in her 2020 Dodge Challenger.

Sanders allegedly several accomplices with him Thursday night, including one who drove the stolen Honda Accord away from the second scene on 15th Street.

Taylor said Sanders was "involved in several incidents" back in Bessemer later Thursday night and even escaped police custody after being arrested by Bessemer Police, but he was recaptured Monday morning and placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where he was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery. He is expected to face a number of additional charges as this investigation continues.