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Staff Report
ALACHUA, Fla. – Authorities apprehended Nathaniel Tramell Gates, 27, and Jada Jamil Kendrick, 22, both residents of Atlanta, following a pursuit involving a stolen Audi A4. The incident unfolded on Sunday in Alachua.
On the night of May 17, at approximately 9:54 p.m., an officer from the Alachua Police Department noticed the stolen vehicle departing a gas station on U.S. Highway 441. The officer initiated a traffic stop by engaging his emergency lights, but the Audi maneuvered past another marked patrol car, also with its lights flashing, and sped onto I-75 heading north. Eventually, after accelerating on the on-ramp, the vehicle decelerated and came to a stop.
For a visual account of the event, you can view the APD’s video of the incident here.
Upon exiting the car, Gates can be heard on body camera footage explaining that Kendrick is pregnant and they were en route to the hospital. He also mentioned it was his birthday, although records indicate his birthday was actually on May 14, not May 17, and claimed the vehicle was a rental.
Kendrick then got out of the car and was detained; she was taken to an emergency room for medical clearance before being transported to the jail.
A search of the vehicle reportedly produced two Oxycodone Hydrochloride tablets in Gates’s wallet and a stolen Glock 23 pistol under the passenger seat.
Post Miranda, Gates reportedly said his fingerprints might be on the firearm because he had handed it to Kendrick.
Post Miranda, Kendrick reportedly admitted to taking the Audi against the will of the owner, and she said she was aware at the time that the owner’s Glock pistol was inside the vehicle.
Gates has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing with emergency lights activated, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He has felony convictions in Georgia and Texas and an active out-of-state warrant. Judge Joy Danne set bail at $35,000; he is still in the Alachua County Jail.
Kendrick has been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and grand theft of a firearm. She has no criminal history, and Judge Danne set bail at $10,000; she posted bail and has been released from the jail.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.