Atlanta residents can sleep a little more soundly knowing that one of the city’s most wanted criminals is finally in police custody after his arrest last week. Randy Baugh has been a wanted man since escaping from custody in 2023, and thanks to surveillance footage, Baugh is behind bars once again.
On August 15, police received a tip that Baugh was casually riding MARTA, Atlanta’s public bus system, according to a statement by APD on Facebook. Police then used surveillance footage to identify the fugitive before stopping and boarding the bus headed south on Cascade Rd. Once they approached Baugh on the bus, police immediately placed him in custody, according to the footage.
This wasn’t the first time APD captured Baugh: In November 2023, he was arrested in connection to two rape cold cases spanning from March 1986 to September 1988, according to 11 Alive.
Despite being brought to Grady Detention Center, Baugh managed to outsmart police and escape the first time. According to APD, he’s been on the run ever since and was placed on the Top 10 Most Wanted list in response.
In the newly released body cam footage of his Thursday (August 15) arrest, APD can be heard asking the accused rapist to identify himself after being placed in handcuffs. Baugh didn’t plan on going down easy though. After being asked his name, Baugh told police he was “Randy Jackson...” yes, like “American Idol’s” Randy Jackson.
Baugh eventually gave his name some more thought and finally identified himself correctly to police as “Randy Baugh.” He was then placed in the back of a police car and taken back to Grady Detention Center, the same place he once escaped from.