A quiet driveway on Mint Green Lane turned into a crime scene in seconds when a white SUV pulled up and masked, armed men jumped out demanding a couple’s car at gunpoint. The man who drove the getaway vehicle, Wali Cooke, was sentenced on August 5, 2026, in Bibb County Superior Court to 20 years, with the first 10 years to serve in prison, after pleading guilty to one count of Robbery by Force.
On May 1, 2023, deputies responded to a carjacking on Mint Green Lane. The victims told investigators they were pulling into their residence when a white SUV pulled up and a group of armed, masked suspects jumped out and demanded their Nissan. The suspects fled the scene in the stolen vehicle.
During an interview with investigators, Cooke admitted riding to the scene with his codefendants and driving the getaway vehicle while his codefendants held the victims at gunpoint and took their car. Cooke was 17 years old at the time of the robbery, an adult under Georgia law.
Investigators identified Cooke’s codefendants as Kristopher Whitaker and Kendall Whitaker, who have been charged with Armed Robbery and have not yet been tried. The Whitakers were juveniles at the time of the offense and are being tried as adults because of the severity of their charges.
“It’s alarming that a crime like this was carried out by teenagers,” said Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard. “Georgia law rightly allows serious charges to follow seriously dangerous conduct regardless of a defendant’s age, and Mr. Cooke’s sentence reflects that principle. But no one should be comfortable with the young age of these assailants. Cases like this are exactly why our Office invests in initiatives like R.I.S.E., which works to identify youth early and to connect them with mental health, trauma mitigation services, and community support before they end up in a courtroom like these young men. Prosecution alone cannot and will not end youth violence. We have to be intentionally proactive in an effort to prevent it, which means accountability today and investment in our young people as we move forward.”