Superintendent Colonel William Crotty
Delaware State Police have arrested all four suspects involved in the crime spree that occurred on Friday in the Wilmington area.
On April 14, 2023, at approximately 6:30 a.m., troopers responded to the area of Marsh Road and Naamans Road in Wilmington for a suspicious vehicle. The 911 caller reported that she was being tailgated and “brake-checked” by a black Jeep Grand Cherokee. The black Jeep came to a complete stop in front of the victim, causing the victim to come to stop as well. The front passenger exited the Jeep, approached her vehicle, and then fled into the woods.
Thirteen minutes later, another 911 call was received for a motor vehicle collision at Thompson Bridge Road and Guyencourt Road. During this incident, the victim was rear-ended by a black Jeep Grand Cherokee. The driver of the Jeep exited the vehicle, looked at the female victim, returned to the Jeep, and fled the scene. The victim was taken to an area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
At approximately 7:07 a.m., another 911 call was received for a suspicious vehicle in the area of Kennett Pike and Twaddell Mill Road. The 911 caller reported that a black Jeep Grand Cherokee was tailgating her. The Jeep eventually fled from the area.
At approximately 7:10 a.m., both the Delaware State Police and the Pennsylvania State Police were dispatched to the area of Creek Road at the Pennsylvania state line for a motor vehicle collision. The investigation revealed that the victim was rear-ended by a black Jeep Grand Cherokee on Creek Road in the area of Cossart Road in Pennsylvania. The victim drove a short distance into Delaware and pulled into a private driveway on Montchanin Road. The black Jeep Grand Cherokee also pulled over, and a suspect exited the Jeep and approached the victim. The suspect then held the victim at gunpoint, forced her to get into the front passenger seat of her vehicle, and demanded that she take off her clothes. The suspect sexually assaulted the victim and then drove her from Delaware to a nearby location in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania. The suspect left the victim on the roadside in Chadds Ford and fled from the area in her vehicle.
A short time later, an officer from the Wilmington Police Department saw the Jeep parked next to a maroon Nissan Pathfinder at the Royal Farms on South Market Street in Wilmington, where the occupants appeared to be changing vehicles. The officer attempted to stop the Jeep, but the car fled at a high rate of speed. The officer pursued the Jeep into Pennsylvania but lost sight of it.
At approximately 9:27 a.m., a Delaware trooper responded to the area of I-95 and Marsh Road for a hit-and-run motor vehicle collision involving a maroon Nissan Pathfinder. The 911 caller reported that a passenger in the Nissan pointed a gun at the victim as the Nissan fled the scene. The caller gave the Nissan’s tag number to dispatchers, and a computer check showed that the car was reported stolen by Elkton PD during the first week of April.
Minutes later, troopers observed the Nissan entering Delaware from Pennsylvania and began pursuing it as it traveled south on I-95. The driver lost control of the Nissan, causing it to collide with several cars. The Nissan became disabled on the off-ramp to Concord Pike. The driver, later identified as 21-year-old David Hinson of Bear, Delaware, and the passenger, later identified as 21-year-old Michael Caldwell of Wilmington, Delaware, fled from the car on foot but were apprehended a short time later. Troopers recovered a firearm while searching the area where the Nissan became disabled. Hinson and Caldwell were taken to Troop 2, where they were charged and committed to the Department of Corrections.
The Delaware State Police continued investigating and searching for the remaining suspects in this case. During this time, detectives developed two additional suspects, identified as 19-year-old Mahkiya Powell of Wilmington, Delaware and 24-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthews of Wilmington, Delaware. Powell was apprehended on April 17, 2023, by the Delaware State Police, and McNair-Matthews was taken into custody later that day with the assistance of the FBI, US Marshals, and Maryland State Police.
The following suspects were charged:
Hinson was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $6,600 secured bond.
Caldwell was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $15,000 cash bond.
Powell was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $5,000 secured bond.
Tonnaire McNair-Matthews is pending extradition to Delaware, where he awaits the following charges:
Delaware State Police Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit continues to investigate this incident. If anyone witnessed or has information regarding these incidents, please contact Detective D. Armstrong by calling 302-365-8440. Information may also be provided by sending a Private Facebook Message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime or have lost a loved one to a sudden death and need assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit / Delaware Victim Center is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov.
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Presented by Public Information Officer, Sergeant India Sturgis
Released: 041823 1130
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