Jonathan Soto was taken into custody in Jacksonville, Florida, more than three years after Michael Gidewon was killed outside Republic Lounge.
ATLANTA, GA — A man accused of killing prominent Atlanta nightclub co-owner Michael Gidewon in 2023 has been arrested in Florida after more than three years as a fugitive, authorities said.
Jonathan Soto, 43, was taken into custody Sept. 23 in Jacksonville after Atlanta police located him and enlisted federal and local authorities to make the arrest. Soto had been listed among the Atlanta Police Department’s most wanted suspects in connection with Gidewon’s death. He was booked into the Duval County jail on a fugitive warrant and was awaiting extradition to Georgia, according to authorities and jail information reported Thursday.
Gidewon, 50, was killed Feb. 4, 2023, at Republic Lounge on Brady Avenue in northwest Atlanta, a nightclub he co-owned with his brother, Alex Gidewon. Atlanta police responding shortly before 7 a.m. found Gidewon fatally shot at the business. Investigators later identified Soto as the suspected gunman and began a search that continued for more than three years.
Atlanta police said their fugitive unit used investigative technology to locate Soto in Jacksonville. The department then contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and authorities in Jacksonville. Members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force tracked Soto to an apartment complex on Gate Parkway North, according to authorities.
Jacksonville authorities said Soto initially refused to leave the apartment after officers surrounded it. SWAT officers breached the door and arrested him. No injuries were reported during the arrest. Atlanta police thanked the agencies that helped take Soto into custody.
Police have alleged that the 2023 shooting followed a confrontation at Republic Lounge. Investigators said a man who appeared to be intoxicated had been removed from the nightclub before the shooting. Authorities later identified Soto as the suspect. He has been accused of murder, but the allegations against him have not been proven in court.
Gidewon and his brother were longtime figures in Atlanta’s nightlife industry. Over the years, they were associated with several prominent clubs in the city, including Vision, Compound and Republic Lounge. Republic Lounge announced that it would permanently close after Gidewon’s death. Friends and members of Atlanta’s nightlife community described his killing at the time as a major loss for the city.
The search for Soto drew additional attention after Gidewon’s family offered a substantial reward for information leading to his capture. Police continued to identify Soto as a wanted suspect, and he remained on Atlanta’s most-wanted list as recently as April 2026. Authorities had not publicly announced an arrest in the case until this week’s operation in Jacksonville.
Radio personality Frank Ski, who said he had held charity events at clubs connected to Gidewon, told WSB-TV that the killing shocked people who knew the longtime nightlife businessman. “I think the next day the city was in shock because everybody knew Mike,” Ski said. He said news of Soto’s arrest surprised him after such a long search.
The arrest marks a major development in the investigation but does not resolve the criminal case. Soto remained in custody in Duval County following his arrest, and authorities said he faces prosecution in connection with Gidewon’s death. The timing of his transfer to Georgia and subsequent court proceedings had not been publicly confirmed as of Friday.
Author note: Last updated September 25, 2026.