Detroit suspect in two carjackings over three days - wore same jacket, shoes, and hat each time

Man arrested in same clothes worn during carjackings

"We knew who we were looking for it all came together perfectly," said Sgt. Otha Craighead.

DETROIT, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Detroit man is facing time in prison on federal charges after he is accused of carjacking two drivers earlier this month over a span of three days. According to a federal indictment, he wore the same clothes in each crime.

Jamiel Carothers was indicted on federal charges for two carjackings on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 in Detroit.

According to the federal complaint, the first carjacking happened at Detroit Wine and Liquor on West 7 Mile Road. The victim was leaving the store and getting into his Chrysler 300 when a man in a black jacket and black hat pointed a semi-automatic pistol at him and demanded his keys.

The victim complied and the suspect got in and drove away before stopping, pointing the gun at him again, and forcing him in the car.

The victim said he was then told to empty his pockets and that the man threatened to kill him several times. At a stop sign, the victim was able to escape the car but was shot at one time. He was not hit by a bullet.

Video from the liquor store confirmed the man's story and showed a man later identified as Cothers inside, wearing a dark hat with ‘JSC USA’ on the front, black shoes with an orange or red stripe on the heel, and a black jacket with white writing "NASA" on the front, "MISSION SPACE" on the left sleeve and a large picture of a spacecraft on the back.

Two days later, at a gas station on 7 Mile and Southfield Freeway, a woman was pumping gas when a man approached and offered to pump for her. She declined and the man said "give me this F------ car b----, or I`ll shoot you."

Then he pulled a gun and pointed at her. She tried to fight him off but eventually ran away but the man fired between two and four shots at her.

She described the man as wearing a black and orange hat, black hoodie, and black and orange shoes. Police reviewed surveillance video and said the jacket looked to be the same one that the suspect at the liquor store wore.

"In particular, the picture on the rear of the jacket is the same as the picture on the rear of the jacket during the October 9 incident," the indictment said.

Photos of the suspect from the Oct. 9 carjacking were sent to the Detroit Police Department Real Time Crime Center where they were submitted to facial recognition analysis. That's how Carothers was identified as a possible suspect.

On Thursday, Oct. 13, the first victim was shown a photo lineup that included six pictures, including Carothers, all with a similar build, hairstyle, and complexion. The victim identified Carothers as the suspect who carjacked and kidnapped him.

The next day, authorities staked out his home on Washburn Street, just off of 7 Mile, and drove to a gas station on 7 Mile where he was on video wearing the same hat with "JSC USA" on it.

Detroit Police arrested him at the gas station.

Later that day, a search warrant was done on his home on Washburn Street. During the search, a relative said Carothers lived in the basement. That's where police found a pair of shoes with orange stripes on the heels. His facial hair also matched that of the suspect.

Carothers is now facing federal charges as the two vehicles were made in Mexico and in Canada, per U.S. law regarding vehicles that are "transported in interstate commerce".

Carothers has a prior conviction in 2012 of felony firearm. He's now charged with two counts of carjacking and gun charges in both crimes.

MORE: Detroit man charged with federal carjacking crimes after two men robbed at gunpoint