By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

BIRMINGHAM – An 18-year-old Birmingham man is facing a felony robbery charge tied to a Nov. 8 carjacking in Bessemer, and police believe he may have connections to a Nov. 9 carjacking in Alabaster’s Propst Promenade shopping center.

The Birmingham Police Department arrested Jamarlon Edwards on Nov. 15 and charged him with one felony count of first-degree robbery after the department investigated the Bessemer incident, according to BPD Lt. Sean Edwards.

During the Bessemer incident, a woman called Birmingham police at about 10:35 a.m. to report her 2013 Dodge Challenger had been stolen after suspects intentionally struck her vehicle from behind.

When the woman got out to survey the damage, a suspect allegedly got into her vehicle and drove off with it.

After BPD detectives investigated the incident, they identified Jamarlon Edwards as one of the suspects, and took him into custody on Nov. 15.

“(Jamarlon) Edwards is believed to be part of a group that has been committing recent carjackings and robberies in Birmingham and possibly the surrounding area,” read an email from Sean Edwards. “Detectives are actively looking for additional individuals that are a part of a group.”

One of the carjacking incidents still under investigation happened at the Propst Promenade on Nov. 9 when local resident Tyler Parsons was awaiting the release of a video game in the parking lot of the Gamestop store.

After he parked his 2013 Dodge Charger Daytona, Parsons said two black males pulled up in a red 2005 Dodge Charger and began asking him about his car. Parsons said one of the males approached his car and began asking questions.

When he showed one of the men his keys, the suspect pulled a gun and stole Parsons’ vehicle, he said. According to the APD incident report, the suspects stole Parson’s $30,000 vehicle, a $600 Glock pistol in the center console and a $700 iPhone.

On Nov. 11, the Birmingham Police Department notified Parsons they had located two black males driving his vehicle in Ensley. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspects fled before making a hard left turn, flipping the vehicle and escaping on foot.

On Nov. 17, Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney said APD was working with BPD to investigate the local carjackings, and said Jamarlon Edwards may face charges tied to the Alabaster incident.

“We are working on that as we speak,” Rigney said.