Late Tuesday night, Memphis police turned to a drone to chase down two 18-year-olds accused of stalking customers at a Bank of America ATM along Winchester Road. Officers say the teens first tried to hide near the machine, then took off running when police arrived. A drone operator followed their path from above until patrol units could box them in. The July 14 arrests came after three reported robbery attempts at the same branch earlier in the week, and the pair now faces robbery and gun-related charges.
According to Action News 5, the suspects are 18-year-olds Queshawn Partee and Jayvion Springfield, who are accused in multiple incidents at the Winchester Road Bank of America on July 8, July 10 and July 12. Station footage and police accounts describe two figures in dark clothing watching an ATM, then closing in on customers using the machine before bolting. In one case, officers say, a nearby customer stepped in and interrupted an attempt. Action News 5 reports that officers chased the pair and relied on an MPD-operated drone to pinpoint their location so ground units could move in for the arrest.
MPD has been ramping up targeted enforcement at locations hit repeatedly by robbery crews and says technology is becoming central to that work. In a recent Memphis Police Department release, investigators outlined coordinated searches that turned up weapons, drugs and evidence tied to several aggressive robbery cases. Those operational updates highlight a growing dependence on aerial support and real-time tools to spot suspects and recover firearms during multi-agency crackdowns.
How the drone was used
The drone that helped end the Winchester Road chase was doing precisely what many departments now expect from unmanned aircraft: get eyes on suspects faster than officers on the ground can. Across the country, cities such as Orlando, Dallas and Fresno have launched "drone-as-first-responder" programs that dispatch docked drones directly to 911 locations and beam back live video to command centers, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Skydio, which manufactures many of the public-safety drones in use, says its DFR Command platform has handled millions of calls and is being adopted by hundreds of agencies, a sign of just how quickly this tech is spreading through law enforcement playbooks.
Charges and next steps
Partee and Springfield were booked on two counts of aggravated robbery, one count of attempted aggravated robbery and three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, according to Action News 5. No injuries were reported in connection with the arrests. Prosecutors are set to review the case while detectives continue gathering evidence. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incidents to contact CrimeStoppers or the Memphis Police Department tip line as the investigation moves forward.
