A masked gunman walked into a Metro PCS store on South Bellevue Boulevard in Memphis on August 30 and threatened to shoot employees before making off with cash from the register, according to police. Officers with the Memphis Police Department responded to the robbery at roughly 10:32 a.m., and the suspect remains at large as investigators search for leads.
According to the Memphis Police Department, the man entered the business, shouted at employees to open the cash registers, and then ordered workers to the back of the store. Employees complied with his demands, and he removed money from the register before fleeing on foot. As reported by Action News 5, police described the suspect as a heavy-set man wearing a black hat, a blue shirt, tan pants, and a black cloth covering his face.
The Memphis Police Department logged the incident under case number 2608030412ME and confirmed the suspect displayed a black handgun while making his demands, according to the Memphis Police Department. Investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward as they work to identify and locate him.
A Store With a History of Armed Robberies
This is not the first time the Metro by T-Mobile location at 1101 South Bellevue Boulevard has been targeted. The store faced multiple previous armed robberies, including two separate incidents during a multi-store robbery spree in late 2024 and early 2025, per a report from WATN-TV.
The surrounding commercial strip has seen a pattern of similar crimes in recent years. Neighboring businesses, including a Family Dollar at 1107 South Bellevue and Jack Pirtle's Chicken at 1217 South Bellevue, have also reported armed robberies, illustrating recurring public-safety concerns along that stretch of road, per Action News 5's earlier coverage.
Robbery Numbers Are Falling Citywide
Despite the repeated targeting of this particular block, Memphis has posted significant citywide declines in robbery and violent crime over the past two years. Citywide robbery offenses fell 38% during the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, part of an overall 36% drop in Part I violent and property crimes reported by the Memphis Police Department.
Independent data backs up that trend. Major violent crime, including rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, dropped 31.5% in Memphis during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period the year before, according to the Memphis-Shelby Crime Commission, as reported by the Tennessee Bar Association. A separate analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice found that reported robberies in Memphis fell 30% in 2025 compared to 2024, and were down 37% compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Potential Charges If Suspect Is Caught
Because the suspect allegedly displayed a handgun during the robbery, he could face aggravated robbery charges if caught. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-402, a robbery committed with a deadly weapon, or one where the victim reasonably believes a weapon is present, is classified as aggravated robbery, a Class B felony, according to FindLaw.
A conviction on that charge carries a prison sentence ranging from 8 to 30 years and fines of up to $25,000 under Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-112, per Justia Law. Under the state's Truth in Sentencing law enacted in 2022, anyone convicted of aggravated robbery committed on or after July 1, 2022, must serve 100% of the court-imposed sentence with no eligibility for early release or parole, according to the Tennessee General Assembly.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact CrimeStoppers of Memphis and Shelby County anonymously at 901-528-CASH or through the P3 Tips mobile app. Tips that lead to an arrest and indictment can earn a reward of up to $1,000, according to CrimeStoppers Memphis.
