Armed carjacking at NJ Walmart ends in Philly arrest — with toddler in tow

🚔 A couple stole a taxi at gunpoint while fleeing a shoplifting scene with a toddler in tow, cops say

👶 The suspects had a toddler in the vehicle during the carjacking, cops say

🏛️ Both suspects were later captured in Philadelphia and now face extradition to New Jersey

MONROE (GLOUCESTER) — A couple who police believe carjacked a taxi with a gun in the parking lot of a Walmart in Monroe, while traveling with a toddler, has been arrested in Philadelphia.

Shoplifting incident at Monroe Walmart escalates

On Sept. 9, just before 2 p.m., police arrived at the Walmart on Black Horse Pike in Williamstown for a shoplifting in progress.

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Darrin M. Mitchell, 31, of Philadelphia, told a Walmart employee he had a gun, police said. After the shoplifting, Mitchell and Damia Darrah, 32, also of Philadelphia, jumped in a 2017 Ford Explorer taxi and fled, police said.

Taxi driver flees during armed carjacking

A township police officer pulled over the taxi on East Malaga Road near Winslow Road. The 56-year-old taxi driver told police that when he stopped the vehicle, Mitchell pressed an object to his back, claimed it was a gun, and ordered him to keep driving.

But the taxi driver bailed from the vehicle. Mitchell then jumped in the driver’s seat and took off with Darrah and a toddler-aged child inside, police said.

Police said the vehicle fled to Philadelphia but they did not chase it.

Arrests made in Philadelphia; extradition pending

Four days later, on Sept. 13, Mitchell was arrested by Philadelphia police on unrelated warrants and remains in custody at a Pennsylvania jail pending extradition to New Jersey.

Mitchell is charged with carjacking, robbery, endangering the welfare of a child, eluding, and shoplifting.

On Sept. 17, Darah was arrested in Philadelphia and is in jail pending extradition to New Jersey.

She is charged with conspiracy to commit carjacking, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child, conspiracy to elude police, and conspiracy to commit shoplifting.

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