Man wanted for questioning in East Point rape investigation arrested

EAST POINT, Ga. - Police in East Point have arrested the man they have been looking for in connection to a series of burglaries and sexual assaults. 

Authorities have been looking for for 27-year-old Jacquez Antonio Walker.

What we know:

Investigators say Walker was wanted for questioning for a rape case that happened on Jan. 31 at a home on the 4700 block of Highpoint Way.

Officials said he is known to squat in abandoned houses in the Heritage Park subdivision, and they asked the public to reach out to them with any information about Walker's location. 

Update:

Late Friday night, the East Point Police announced the arrest of Walker. He is being charged with sexual assault, burglary, aggravated assault, kidnapping, home invasion, and being a felon in possession of a knife.

The EPPD thanked Sheriff Labat and the Fulton County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in arresting Walker. 

Dig deeper:

Before the arrest, East Point City Councilmember Joshua Butler IV organized an emergency public safety meeting Wednesday so residents of Heritage Park could voice their concerns directly to Chief Buchanan and so that he in turn could inform them of their efforts to catch Walker. 

"He is getting more bold," shared on Heritage Park neighbor during the meeting. "So what's going to happen next? It's just very scary and we're all on edge, especially with our children."

Chief Buchanan told those in the virtual meeting that they were doing everything they could to catch Walker. 

"So we've had undercover cars in there for about a month, working about 12 at night to four in the morning. But now we've extended hours and we have a plethora of things we're doing, without giving away details. But there are several things in place that we've added on since our latest break in," Buchanan said. 

Butler said they’re even doing foot patrols now. 

"In fact, he had patrols out in that neighborhood on foot last night looking for this guy," Butler said. 

"When I say we are hunting this person down, we are truly hunting this person down," Buchanan said. 

On Friday, neighbors in Heritage Park seemed to mixed feelings on whether Police were doing enough to find Walker. 

Some said they saw the patrols and appreciated it, while others said they thought it was too little, too late considering the sexual assault that occurred.  

What you can do:

During the meeting several neighbors asked what they should be doing to protect themselves. 

Chief Buchanan said it’s important to not only have an alarm system in their homes but to make sure it’s activated. 

He said that wasn’t the case in some of these recent break-ins. 

"Three of the four people did not have an alarm on…One person did and that's why he ran. And I think that’s critical. Everybody knows, please lock your doors, lock your windows. That goes without saying. But the biggest thing is if you have an alarm, you have to activate the alarm," Chief Buchanan said. 

He also said it’s vital that neighbors call police if they see him. 

"I cannot stress that enough. That seems like a simple thing to say, but we've had several people see this person late at night or think they saw him and no one called the police. You must call the police," Buchanan said.

More about Walker:

According to Chief Buchanan, Walker has a long history of breaking and entering. He told those gathered in the meeting that Walker had been arrested for break-ins in East Point back in 2019. 

And had been arrested and released several times since then. 

"If you do apprehend him, what are you going to do this time to make sure that does not happen?" asked on Heritage Park neighbor. 

"This is absolutely ridiculous to have someone like this who's been charged multiple times with this out of jail," Buchanan answered. "I know Fani Willis and I will be asking her not to give this person a bond."