Memphis Police Department arrested two suspects following a shoplifting incident that escalated into a near assault on an officer and a subsequent car chase. On the night of July 30, police were called to the Dollar General on East Raines Road after two men, later identified as Octavious Jenkins, 33, and Lorenzo Buckley, 31, allegedly filled three shopping carts with merchandise and exited via the rear door, according to Action News 5.
As reported by Local Memphis, an officer encountered the suspects near Kirby Parkway where one attempted to jump-start their gray Impala, when approached, the driver threw the vehicle in reverse, accelerated toward the officer who managed to avoid injury by jumping to safety, what followed was a police chase that ended on I-40 near Jackson after the suspects crashed into the median, and tried to flee on foot.
Both Jenkins and Buckley were captured and taken into custody. Jenkins faces charges, including theft of property in the $1,000-$2,500 range, aggravated assault, evading arrest in a vehicle, and evading arrest on foot. Buckley was charged with theft of property in the $1,000-$2,500 range. "The suspects crashed into the median" where they were apprehended after a short pursuit on foot, FOX13 Memphis detailed their reporting.
The recovered merchandise was valued at over $1,000. Jenkins is scheduled for a court appearance Thursday morning, as per Local Memphis, which also noted that one suspect was transported to Regional One in non-critical condition following the arrest, it remains unclear if the injured suspect was Jenkins or Buckley but it is a continuation of an alarming trend where desperation crashes headlong into law enforcement.
