Repeat offender charged in numerous crimes including a multi-million dollar jewelry heist

ATLANTA — It went down as one of the biggest jewelry heists in Atlanta’s history. Thieves stole $10 million worth of jewelry from the Icebox in Buckhead in 2019.

Now a Channel 2 Action News investigation has discovered that one of the suspects charged in the case was recently arrested in Atlanta.

Johnny Anthony, 26, was arrested on Feb. 7 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, giving false name, address or birthday to law enforcement officer, and escape (custody/confinement).

Anthony was released after posting a $100,000 bond on Feb. 9, according to jail records.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Fulton County district attorney emailed the following statement to Channel 2 Action News:

“In this case, the District Attorney’s office did not consent to bond, but the Magistrate Judge chose to grant a $100,000 bond to the defendant. He was released when that bond was paid. The District Attorney shares the concern of the community about repeat offenders. She is creating a repeat offender tracking program to identify defendants who have prior convictions and ensure that the history is shared with judges at bond hearings. The office is also cooperating the Fulton County Sheriff and police departments to target repeat offenders for arrest and prosecution when they commit additional crimes.”

Fulton County Chief Magistrate Judge Cassandra Kirk did not address this case, but earlier this month, she sent the following statement to Channel 2′s Michael Seiden addressing the release of repeat offenders:

“At a recent meeting of our Justice Partners and the Atlanta Police Foundation, the question of tracking repeat offenders was raised. Law enforcement are able to identify and flag those individuals with multiple offenses that continue to appear in our criminal justice system. A system has been implemented between law enforcement and the District Attorney to assist in flagging those individuals and ensuring that judges are aware of all relevant information before setting a bond.”

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Anthony’s latest arrest comes after he claimed he was shot and injured during an armed robbery.

In a police report filed on Feb. 7, Anthony told police he was targeted by masked gunmen who shot him in the backside before stealing his Gucci wallet and $17K in cash.

When investigators tried to interview him at a hospital, he gave them multiple fake names, police said.

He’s also accused of attempting to flee from the hospital.

Police arrested Anthony after confirming that he was wanted on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Court documents show that in 2021, Anthony showed up at 656 Sports Bar & Grille on Pryor Street, where he’s accused of shooting and injuring an employee after he was told that he wasn’t allowed in because of a prior incident.

Channel 2 Action News attempted to contact Anthony through an attorney and phone numbers, but no one has responded to our requests for comment.

Deputies open fire along I-85 to stop stolen semitruck Amerido Berrios rode past the scene shortly after the incident ended and told Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston that when he pulled up, it was shocking.

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