Atlanta couple sentenced for carjacking, armed robbery and drug trafficking crime spree

ATLANTA — An Atlanta couple has been sentenced to federal prison after authorities said they went on a two-week carjacking, bank robbery, drug trafficking and weapons crime spree.

The District Attorney’s office said on Nov. 12, 2019, Quantavious Arnold, 30, and two other men carjacked a victim with a semi-automatic weapon outside of a southwest Atlanta convenience store. Two days alter, Arnold and his girlfriend, Ericka Brewster, 31, used the car to drive to a bank in DeKalb County. Arnold walked up to the counter, pulled a gun and threatened to kill people unless the teller gave him thousands of dollars in cash.

Arnold and Brewster left the bank in the stolen car, which they later abandoned.

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Atlanta police found Arnold 10 days later, a block from the store where he’d committed the carjacking. Arnold was carrying the gun he used in the robbery, a distribution quantity of crack and a digital scale. Brewster was also later arrested.

Both defendants are convicted felons with extensive criminal histories who were both on multiple terms of state probation when they committed federal crimes.

Brewster’s history included convictions for fraud, theft and forgery. Arnold’s history included gun charges, drug trafficking and violent crimes like aggravated assault, battery and burglary.

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Arnold had been sentenced to probation less than four months from the time that he committed the robbery.

“Both Arnold and Brewster have extensive violent criminal histories, and once again put innocent civilians at risk during the span of their two-week crime spree,” said Keri Farley, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “The sentence demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to work with our local law enforcement partners to convict these repeat offenders at the federal level, where they face stiffer penalties and no opportunity for parole.”

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Arnold was found guilty on numerous charges including carjacking, armed bank robbery and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison with three years of supervised release.

Brewster was sentenced to four years, six months in jail and five years of supervised release after she was convicted on one bank robbery charge.

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