The suspect in a 1994 Atlanta murder case is behind bars after being captured in Northeast Georgia. Deputies arrested Muhammed Bilal El-Amin during a traffic stop in Oconee County earlier this week, the FBI says.
During his arrest, Oconee County Sheriff’s deputies learned the man they arrested was operating under an assumed name and was wanted by the Atlanta Police Department and FBI for murder and flight to avoid prosecution.
El-Amin allegedly shot and killed 18-year-old Jafferd Tucker at a MARTA station on November 27, 1994, then evaded arrest for 28 years. The FBI had a reward out for him, but it was a suspended car tag and license that landed him in jail.
According to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, on August 16, Deputy Devan Blair stopped a Mazda on East Monroe Highway for lack of registration and insurance. The driver, who identified himself as Rais Sekhem, provided the deputy with a South Carolina license that also came back as suspended. The deputies arrested the man, only to learn later he was wanted by the FBI.
At the jail, deputies fingerprinted him and his prints came back as a match for the fugitive El-Amin, the sheriff’s office says. A judge denied him bond. According to Atlanta police, El-Amin is now awaiting extradition back to Atlanta.
