What started as a late-night stickup at the Memphis Inn on American Way ended with three people in handcuffs, a handgun pulled from a car, and about $300 gone, according to police. Officers said they tracked a suspect vehicle tied to the armed robbery, stopped it a short distance away and connected the occupants to the motel through surveillance footage.
Investigators identified the three as 41-year-old Adrian Young, 39-year-old Gwendolyn Morris and 22-year-old Courtney Lewellen, each facing two counts of aggravated robbery, as reported by WREG. Victims told police roughly $300 was taken during the April 14 holdup at the Memphis Inn. Detectives said motel surveillance footage helped them match the people leaving the victim’s room with items in hand to the vehicle that officers later stopped.
American Way Corridor Under Ongoing Spotlight
The Memphis Police Department has repeatedly called out properties along American Way for chronic crime, citing overdoses, assaults and armed robberies as part of a broader pattern. In a recent nuisance-closure announcement, the department said detectives have been tracking violence and other criminal activity at nearby lodging spots and ramping up enforcement in the corridor, according to the Memphis Police Department.
In this case, officers said they found a red two-door Mercedes heading south on Lamar Avenue near Pendleton and pulled it over. According to investigators, Morris, Young and Lewellen were inside, and a handgun was located under the front passenger seat. Surveillance footage reviewed by detectives showed the suspects leaving the victim’s room carrying items, and court documents state that Morris identified Young as the masked, armed intruder while Lewellen told investigators she had been dancing for the victim. Booking records list bonds at $200,000 for Morris and Lewellen and $250,000 for Young, and WREG reports Young previously pleaded guilty in November 2018 to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The three were scheduled to appear in court on Friday, April 17.
Camera Work, Patrols And What Comes Next
Police say the case highlights their push to use cameras and targeted patrols to crack down on motel-related crime and repeat-offender locations. The department has pointed to citywide camera networks and nuisance enforcement as tools that have helped close other robbery cases, according to a Memphis Police Department report on camera-aided investigations. Detectives say the investigation into the Memphis Inn robbery is still active and are asking anyone with additional information to come forward.
The defendants remain presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The scheduled hearing will be the first chance for prosecutors to lay out the case in detail and for a judge to decide whether any further conditions are necessary.
