Who killed Mariam Abdulrab? Suspect Demarcus Brinkley arrested after crash following WILD car chase
GEORGIA, ATLANTA: A person of interest has been taken into custody after the chilling murder of Mariam Abdulrab who was kidnapped in front of her home at gunpoint, before being killed on Friday, August 13. Cops were able to take the suspect into custody only after a high-speed car chase. Identified as Demarcus Brinkley, the young man was arrested in Griffin by the Georgia State Patrol for the murder of Abdulrab, a bartender in southeast Atlanta.
Abdulrab was abducted on her way back home after ending her shift at Revery VR Bar on the early morning of Friday, August 13. She was returning to Chosewood Park, just south of Grant Park, Atlanta, when Brinkley is believed to have followed and kidnapped her while she was approaching her front door. Information about Abdulrab's gruesome murder was posted to Facebook by Elisha Kim, and witness of the incident confirmed they saw 27-year-old Abdulrab getting forced inside an SUV at about 5 am. Her body was found just hours later, at the intersection of Lakewood Avenue and Terrace Way in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood.
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Who killed Mariam Abdulrab?
The 27-year-old suspect Demarcus Brinkley is believed to have abducted Abdulrab sometime between 4.30 am and 5 am on Friday just outside the home, the victim's friend Kim wrote in her Facebook posts. Cops from the Atlanta Police Department were called to 501 Burroughs Street around 5 am after the caller claimed Abdulrab was getting forced to get into an SUV, which surveillance footage later confirmed, reports WGCL-TV.
Hours later, cops responded again to reports of shots fired nearby. They weren't able to find anything until 9:55 am when a witness called the police and Abdulrab was found. Brinkley is reported to have led the cops on a speedy chase before he was booked. The chase ended up wrecking Brinkley's blue 2013 Chevrolet Equinox as footage of the chase posted on Facebook shows.
Brinkley is currently in custody under traffic charges as a 'very active' investigation into the abduction and homicide continues, the Atlanta Police Department said. Atlanta Journal-Constitution was told by officials that Brinkley and the driver of the Buick he crashed into, were both transported by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment. Currently, information on their condition hasn't been revealed.
Mariam Abdulrab was a 'living jewel'
Meanwhile, the Revery VR Bar where Abdulrab worked will be grieving by staying closed through the weekend. "Our hearts are truly broken at the loss of a dear friend and family member. Mariam brought light to every single person she came in contact with and will forever be missed," the bar's Instagram account posted, adding: "We will be closed this weekend to grieve and savor our last moments with her. Please stay safe, y'all."
Abdulrab's family members and friends have also called her "peaceful" and a "living jewel" in tributes to her. "My daughter was the most peaceful and loving person. She did not deserve this," her father Khalid Abdulrab told WXIA-TV. Another bar called 'Church' where Abdulrab sometimes worked also called her a member of the bar's 'family', reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Mariam was a living jewel. She shone," said Henry, owner of the bar Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium. He added: "We are all family. As if the pandemic wasn't enough, to lose a family member is even worse.'