A Memphis man is behind bars, accused in a crime spree involving two carjackings, three auto thefts and a stolen purse that stretched across the city over less than two weeks. Taylen Bynum is in jail, charged with two counts of carjacking, three counts of auto theft, and one count each of theft of property, evading arrest and auto burglary. No bond has been set for him.
According to WREG, Memphis police linked Bynum to six incidents involving two carjackings, three auto thefts and a stolen purse. Investigators say the spree began on Sept. 27, when a Honda Accord was stolen from a Cricket Wireless store on Lamar Avenue. The car turned up two days later, damaged and abandoned on Union Avenue.
A Stolen Purse and a Fingerprint Match
The next day, Sept. 28, a woman told police a man stole her purse from her car at a Costco gas station on Hacks Cross. The purse contained about $1,500, the station's report notes. Police said the Honda Accord connected to that theft was later found abandoned — with Bynum's fingerprints on it.
Days later, on Oct. 3, a Ford F-150 was stolen from a dry cleaner on Lamar Avenue. It was eventually found unoccupied behind a house on Orgill Avenue, per the same account.
Violence Escalates at a Save-A-Lot and a Circle K
The spree took a more dangerous turn on Oct. 7, when a woman reported that a man pulled her out of her Honda CR-V at a Save-A-Lot on Park Avenue and drove off. That same day, a Chevy Camaro was reported stolen from an Applebee's on Union Avenue.
Then on Oct. 8, a woman fueling her Nissan Armada at a Circle K on Union Avenue said a man pushed her out of the vehicle, injuring her, before fleeing south on Belvedere, the outlet reports. Investigators said Bynum later admitted taking the Armada because he was trying to run his money up before going to Mississippi.
Police Spotted Bynum Before the Circle K Incident
At about 2:15 p.m., before the Circle K incident at 7:50 p.m., officers spotted Bynum at a house on Lauderdale Street getting into the Camaro — which had already been verified as the vehicle stolen from Applebee's the day before. He was read his rights, and police say he admitted to stealing two of the vehicles, while surveillance video and victims' statements allegedly tied him to the remaining crimes.
Part of a Larger Pattern in Memphis
Bynum's arrest comes amid a mixed picture for vehicle-related crime in Memphis. Memphis's carjacking rate in the first half of 2025 ran 34% lower than the same period in 2024, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
Even so, car theft in Memphis remains well above pre-pandemic norms. Motor vehicle theft stayed 36% higher in 2025 than in 2019, the Council on Criminal Justice found, a trend also reflected in local data cited by Action News 5, which reported 514 motor vehicle thefts in Memphis and 34 stolen cars in Shelby County so far in 2026 — a pace of roughly seven stolen cars a day across the area. Dr. Thaddeus Johnson told the station that a federal task force operating in Memphis has helped make a dent in those numbers, though he cautioned it isn't a sustainable fix on its own.
