Micah Atkins, 18, was sentenced Wednesday, April 24 to 15 to 30 years in prison on a charge of carjacking. Atkins initially was charged as a juvenile, but was waived into adult court because of the crime’s severity.
Atkins and three other teens on Jan. 12, 2023 approached an SUV in the area of Muskegon Avenue NW and Richmond Street. Two girls, both 17 were inside the SUV and had stopped to check their phones for directions because they were lost. According to a probable cause affidavit, the teens who approached the SUV asked for a ride to gas station. One of the girls handed $5 out a window and asked them to leave.
The teens then demanded $20 and, soon after, Atkins and another teen began tapping metal objects on the SUV’s side. The girls said they appeared to be guns and they let the teens inside. Atkins then pointed a gun at the driver’s head, police were told.
The girls were directed to drive to Webster Street and Quarry Avenue NW. There, they were ordered out of the SUV. The girls called 911 and police located the SUV, but lost it during a brief pursuit. Soon after, however, the SUV came barreling down an alley and struck a Grand Rapids police cruiser on Webster Street near Indiana Avenue. All four teens in the SUV then jumped out and ran, but later were caught.
The two carjacked teens on Wednesday told Kent County Circuit Judge Christina Elmore about event’s damaging impact on their lives. Kayla LePage said the carjacking had a traumatizing effect on her.
“I know not to trust anyone around me and to always be cautious of my surroundings,” she said. “It’s very scary to think of criminals out there walking free to victimize someone else.”
Elmore, in sentencing Atkins, said he made the wrong choice and she rebutted assertions from his attorney that he wasn’t being given a second chance or proper consideration because of his youth.
“Everybody has a chance not to carjack somebody. Mr. Atkins took it upon himself to do so,” she said.
