Memphis police are looking for two juveniles accused of threatening a convenience-store cashier at gunpoint inside the Quick and Easy on S. Highland Street on June 17, then bolting from the scene on foot. One of the teens was wearing an ankle monitor at the time, according to investigators.
Officers were called to the store at 2:53 p.m. on June 17 after an employee reported that one suspect pointed a handgun and threatened to shoot, the Memphis Police Department said. Police described the suspects as a Black male with dreadlocks wearing a black jacket, white shirt, black shorts and black slides, and a second Black male in a red Corky’s hoodie, black cap, dark pants and an ankle monitor on his left ankle. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.
Local television outlets later picked up the department’s bulletin, repeating the descriptions and timeline of the incident. As reported by Action News 5, officers said the pair initially walked in to make a purchase before the gun threat unfolded.
Why the Ankle Monitor Detail Matters
Electronic monitoring is widely used in Shelby County as an alternative to locking young people up. The county’s Youth Services Bureau lists ankle bracelets and GPS devices among the tools it uses to supervise court-involved youth in the community. Those materials say monitoring is part of a graduated set of sanctions and helps manage youth outside of secure detention, per Shelby County.
National reporting has raised questions about whether those programs always work as intended. Experts interviewed in an investigation by The Washington Post pointed to gaps in oversight that can leave courts and police without current location data when juvenile monitoring devices fail or are tampered with.
What Happens Next
Because the suspects are juveniles, any charges and court hearings would typically move through Tennessee’s juvenile and family court system, which handles delinquency cases and youth placements, according to the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts.
Memphis police are still working to identify the two teens. Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH. Tips can be submitted anonymously, according to the department’s bulletin.
