Bethlehem men arrested for carjacking

Gianluca Gomez, 19, of 1148 Otis Drive, and Esli Villalta, 19, of 604 Sleeping Meadow Lane, are facing charges of aggravated assault, hijacking of a motor vehicle and participation in street gang activity.

Police say the victims were stopped at the intersection of Pond Road and Old Norcross Road when Gomez and Villalta ordered them out of their vehicle at gunpoint. The couple was traveling with their 18-month-old toddler at the time.

Gomez and Villalta drove away but were captured a short time later by police. The arrests mark the second time this year the two have been charged with participating in street gang activity.

The two men were arrested in March in connection with a drive-by shooting on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs and an aggravated assault which occurred at the Zaxby’s in Winder. Two people, including a 14-year-old boy, suffered gunshot wounds in the Sandy Springs incident.

Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies and Sandy Springs Police went to Villalta’s home on March 8 in an attempt to locate the vehicle Villalta and Gomez reportedly used in the Sandy Springs shooting.

After learning that authorities had been to the home, Gomez and Villalta went to the Winder Police Department to ask why authorities were searching for them.

A Winder police investigator interviewed the two men and realized they were the individuals being sought by Sandy Springs Police. The investigator was also able to connect Gomez and Villalta to the aggravated assault which occurred at the Winder Zaxby’s.

The two were detained until Sandy Springs Police investigators arrived.

Both men are currently being held in the Gwinnett County Detention Center without bond.