A string of carjackings in Memphis has led to the arrest of four teenagers, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD). The incidents occurred across the city last Thursday and Friday, prompting swift action by law enforcement to apprehend those responsible for the series of high-stakes crimes.
According to Action News 5, the first carjacking took place at a Citgo Gas Station at 2915 Old Austin Peay Highway around 7:20 p.m. last Thursday. The suspects, two male teenagers, demanded a ride from a victim and, her mother. When refused, one suspect drew a firearm, forcing the victim from her white 2007 Honda Pilot and robbing her of her cellphone. The other suspect also seized the car keys at gunpoint before the pair fled the scene.
WREG detailed a subsequent series of events last Friday, starting at 12:20 p.m. at the corner of Old Raleigh Lagrange and Old Austin Peay Highway. An Uber driver was carjacked by two males he had picked up from the Ridgecrest Apartments, intending to transport them to the Creekwood Apartments. The two men produced firearms, seizing the driver's personal belongings and vehicle, a Toyota Corolla.
The spree culminated later that day when officers spotted the stolen Corolla at Creekside Meadows Apartments, as stated by FOX13 Memphis. Efforts to initiate a traffic stop were unsuccessful, resulting in a high-speed pursuit that concluded when the driver crashed into a mailbox on Allen Road. Following a short foot chase, two suspects were captured, while others were found hiding in a nearby shed with a firearm and multi-colored pills in their possession.
The four teenagers, two aged 15 and two aged 17, are facing a range of charges, from theft to three counts of carjacking, aggravated robbery, employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and evading arrest. Along with these charges, one 17-year-old male was found to be in possession of ecstasy.
