The Tiger Mart gas station on Jackson Avenue in North Memphis has been labeled a public nuisance and temporarily shut down following a significant volume of criminal activities reported at the location. The Memphis Police Department (MPD), through its Organized Crime Unit, performed a thorough three-month investigation into the premise's activities which eventually led to its closure. According to a report by WREG, the investigation revealed that the gas station has been a hotspot for criminal activities ranging from thefts to assault.
Due to the high volume of criminal incidents over the last two years, the Shelby County General Sessions Court, at the request of the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, issued a temporary injunction against Tiger Mart on August 29, 2024. The closure aims to address criminal activities, including murder, multiple thefts, criminal trespass, and credit card fraud, as reported by FOX13 Memphis. The court declared the premises a public nuisance, effectively closing the business temporarily.
The number of police calls to the gas station was staggering. MPD's data indicated that from April 1, 2022, to June 6, 2024, there were approximately 736 calls and 103 reports at Tiger Mart. A comprehensive list of the reported offenses includes aggravated assault, robbery, shoplifting, emergency commitments, carjackings, and drug violations. These reports, obtained by Local Memphis, paint a vivid picture of the depth and variety of criminal activities that have been plaguing the gas station.
Over the course of the investigation between April 2022 and June 2024, MPD made a total of 19 arrests at Tiger Mart, as noted by WREG. The arrests encompassed a collection of 11 warrants, 14 criminal trespasses, four shoplifting misdemeanors, one simple assault, eight emergency commitments, one theft of a motor vehicle, two drug paraphernalia, one carjacking, and two aggravated assaults. After the findings of the investigation were reviewed by the Shelby County Attorney General’s Office, the cracking down on the establishment became imminent, culminating in the temporary closure by the General Sessions Court.
The community around North Memphis has witnessed the gas station turn into a locale of repeated lawlessness, a reality that the MPD and the legal system have now taken steps to address. The future of Tiger Mart remains uncertain, with the closure meant to be a temporary measure as the court assesses the situation and the appropriate long-term actions to curtail crime and restore safety to the area's residents.
