A 15-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with murder after police say he shot Uber driver Cesar Tejada during a predawn carjacking on New Year’s Day in a Lawrenceville subdivision, left him in the roadway and drove off in the stolen SUV before officers tracked and arrested him hours later.
The case has rattled a quiet residential pocket northeast of Atlanta and sparked wide attention across metro-area ride-hailing communities. Police identified the victim as Tejada, 58, of Grayson, a husband and father of two who was on an early shift when the attack occurred. Investigators say license-plate cameras and data from Uber helped them quickly trace the vehicle and identify a suspect. Detectives are now assembling a minute-by-minute timeline, while prosecutors prepare initial filings in Gwinnett County Superior Court. Authorities said early indications point to a robbery-turned-homicide with no evidence of a prior relationship between the rider and the driver.
Officers were dispatched about 5:20 a.m. Thu., Jan. 1, to the 600 block of Groveland Parkway in the Meadow Grove subdivision after reports of a person lying in the street. They found Tejada with a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators later determined Tejada had picked up a rider at about 4:13 a.m. on Rangewood Drive in Lilburn and driven several miles to Groveland Parkway. Detectives say the passenger stepped out, shot Tejada, pulled him from the driver’s seat and sped away. “It’s a senseless act and not the way any family should start a new year,” Lawrenceville Police Capt. Dena Pauly said in a briefing.
By late morning, officers said, hits from neighborhood doorbell cameras and automated license plate readers helped chart the SUV’s movements back toward the pickup area. Patrol units detained a boy in Lilburn who matched descriptions relayed over the air. He was identified as Christian Simmons, 15, and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail to face adult charges. Police initially withheld his name because of his age, later releasing it after consulting prosecutors. Officials have not said whether a firearm was recovered, the caliber used, or the exact number of shots. They also have not disclosed the make and model of Tejada’s vehicle. No other injuries were reported in the incident.
Tejada’s last ride ended on a cul-de-sac off Groveland Parkway, a winding street lined with single-family homes about 30 miles from downtown Atlanta. Neighbors awoke to police lights as the subdivision’s entrances were taped off and detectives began canvassing. Community members placed flowers near the curb where evidence markers dotted the pavement. Uber said it permanently banned the account linked to the ride and is assisting investigators. The company expressed condolences to Tejada’s family and said it would share relevant trip data with authorities.
Records show Georgia law allows prosecutors to seek indictment of 15-year-olds for certain violent crimes in Superior Court. After booking, a first appearance typically occurs in Magistrate Court to address counsel and scheduling, followed by a grand jury presentment. Officials have not announced a hearing date. Detectives said they are reviewing phone records, ride-app logs and additional video to reconstruct the period between the 4:13 a.m. pickup and the 5:20 a.m. 9-1-1 call. The medical examiner will finalize cause and manner of death after autopsy; preliminary findings list a fatal gunshot wound. Police did not indicate a motive beyond vehicle theft.
Tejada, who lived in nearby Grayson, worked overnight and early-morning hours, relatives said. A neighbor described the subdivision as quiet before dawn until sirens spilled into the cul-de-sac. Another resident recalled seeing a dark SUV idling with headlights on around daybreak and later crime-scene tape stretched across the block. Detectives spent hours photographing the roadway, knocking on doors and collecting footage from porch cameras. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Tejada family,” Pauly said, noting that victim advocates were assigned to assist relatives through the process.
As detectives firm up the timeline, investigators are also checking whether the stolen SUV passed by the scene again, a detail that sometimes emerges in violent carjacking cases when suspects return to the area. Officers have asked residents around Groveland Parkway and Rangewood Drive to share camera recordings from 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. to fill gaps. The department has not said whether it recovered shell casings, a holster, or clothing tied to the shooting; those specifics are typically withheld until lab results are returned and charging documents are filed. Officials emphasized that early accounts remain subject to refinement as additional evidence is cataloged.
The neighborhood straddles city and county lines where multiple agencies often coordinate on serious crimes. Lawrenceville detectives led the case, with assistance from Gwinnett County’s crime lab and regional task-force partners who monitor plate-reader networks. The terrain—curving streets with limited through-traffic—can complicate searches but also narrows potential escape routes captured on cameras at key intersections. In dozens of interviews, residents shared glimpses of what they saw, from a brief flash of an SUV passing a stop sign to officers kneeling near evidence markers along the curb.
Under Georgia procedure, prosecutors may seek additional counts beyond malice or felony murder, including hijacking a motor vehicle and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. A judge could later consider pretrial detention, given the violent nature of the allegations, and set a timeline for discovery once an indictment is returned. Defense counsel typically challenges statements, identification procedures and the admissibility of surveillance footage. Investigators said they will preserve body-camera recordings, 9-1-1 audio and any forensic lab results for court.
At makeshift memorials, mourners left flowers and notes in Spanish and English. Tejada’s friends described him as a patient, soft-spoken father who picked up extra shifts during the holidays. In Lilburn, residents said officers quietly canvassed Rangewood Drive and nearby blocks, asking for video of the pickup and any unfamiliar pedestrians around 4 a.m. A neighbor who asked not to be named said the morning felt “frozen” as cruisers idled and technicians mapped the scene with tripods and measuring wheels.
As of Monday, Simmons remained in custody while detectives finalized initial reports for prosecutors. Authorities said the next milestones include a first appearance in Magistrate Court this week and the coroner’s formal autopsy findings. Police will release additional details, including any firearm recovery and a more precise route of the stolen SUV, in subsequent filings as the case advances toward grand jury review.
Author note: Last updated January 5, 2026.