JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man wanted in connection with the 2023 killing of a co-owner of Atlanta’s Republic Lounge was arrested Tuesday in Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Jonathan Soto, 43, was taken into custody at an apartment complex on Gate Parkway North after JSO SWAT members, working with the Atlanta Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, tracked him down.
Soto refused to leave the apartment, prompting SWAT members to breach the door and arrest him, JSO said. No one was injured.
Soto is accused in the Feb. 4, 2023, killing of Michael Gidewon, co-owner of Republic Lounge in Atlanta. Gidewon was found shot to death at the club, located on Brady Ave., according to Atlanta police.
At the time, investigators identified Soto as a suspect. Police said the person believed to be responsible had been at the nightclub, was removed because he was intoxicated and later returned with a gun, according to a 2023 report from 11Alive.
The popular Atlanta nightclub later announced it would close following his death, The Associated Press reported.
Soto was booked into the Duval County jail and is being held on a fugitive warrant while authorities in Atlanta continue the case.
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