Memphis has seen an upswing in its share of car heists, but the Memphis Police Department (MPD) is actively tracking down those responsible. An audacious car robbery occurred on Monday, at 2:40 p.m., at 1875 Covington Pike where a Porsche was boldly snatched from its owners by an armed assailant. According to a social media post by the MPD, as the victims unloaded the vehicle in the rear parking lot, they were approached by a masked individual who exited a newer model BMW, brandished a gun, and took off with the luxury car along with the BMW.
The plot thickened when investigators realized to tie the BMW to an earlier automobile theft from the Hilton Hotel at 939 Ridge Lake Boulevard on February 15. As part of a relentless effort to locate the stolen vehicles, MPD units including VCU, ATTF, K9, Appling Farms Task Force, and Aviation, alongside Bartlett Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit, collaborated to track down the suspects. Their search came to fruition on Tuesday, around 5:00 p.m. when they located the BMW, still hot with the scent of recent misdeeds, at Elvis Presley Boulevard and Norris Road.
The takedown was swift. Three individuals were found occupying the BMW: Averion Finley, the driver, alongside Jayden Hastings and Brianna Watkins, both passengers. The officers' search was thorough, not just recovering the keys to the stolen BMW but also unearthing substances with the weight of the law against them. Finley was found to be in possession of a controlled substance, while Hastings was caught with both marijuana and oxycodone. But the consequences do not merely end with drug-related charges; a Glock with a switch was retrieved from the vehicle, and given Finley's status as a convicted felon, this compounded his legal troubles substantially.
Details of the charges laid out paint a grim picture for the trio. "Averion Finley, 23, was charged with Theft of Property to wit Auto: $10,000-$60,000, Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Manufacture/Deliver/Sell to wit: Burprenorphine and Naloxone, and Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun," as stated by the MPD. As for Hastings, 18, he has to contend with a laundry list of charges including theft of property, possession of marijuana and oxycodone, highlighted by the serious offense of possessing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Watkins' alleged involvement earned her charges of property theft and intent to sell marijuana.
