Two masked women robbed a used car dealership at gunpoint on Clinton Highway in North Knoxville Tuesday night, then ran off before officers could catch them, and as of Wednesday morning police still had not identified either suspect.
Officers Found No Trace of the Armed Pair
Knoxville Police Department officers responded to 4403 Clinton Highway after reports of an armed robbery at the location, according to WVLT. WBIR identified Royal Motors LLC as a dealership on Clinton Highway. Police described the two suspects as Black women wearing face masks and gloves, and said the pair robbed the dealership at gunpoint before running away. Officers searched the area afterward but did not locate the women.
Investigation Lands With KPD's Violent Crimes Unit
The case has been handed to the Knoxville Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit, which operates within the department's Major Crimes Division under the Investigations Bureau, alongside forensics, crime analysis, and Crime Stoppers liaison operations. Anyone with information is asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, which offers anonymous tipsters cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be submitted by texting “ETTips” to 738477, and the nonprofit's encrypted tip management software is designed to prevent caller ID or phone tracking.
If caught and convicted, the suspects would face serious consequences under Tennessee law. Armed robbery at gunpoint constitutes aggravated robbery under Tennessee Code § 39-13-402, a Class B felony punishable by 8 to 30 years in prison and fines up to $25,000, since the statute covers any theft committed with a deadly weapon or an item meant to make a victim reasonably believe it is one.
A Rare Spike Against a Backdrop of Falling Crime
The robbery lands at an unusual moment for Knoxville, which has posted some of its steepest crime declines in years. The Knoxville Police Department reported a 19 percent reduction in robberies and an 82 percent drop in non-fatal shootings during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier. Preliminary 2025 figures showed reported robberies down 27 percent compared with 2024.
A 2006 incident involved dealership owner and former Knox County Commissioner Greg “Lumpy” Lambert. An armed suspect pointed a gun at Lambert before Lambert disarmed him, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. That suspect later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. KPD's Community Engagement Response Team, a unit established in early 2021 to proactively track down wanted violent felony suspects across the city's high-impact corridors, has made recent arrests tied to aggravated robbery and assault warrants elsewhere in Knoxville.
How to Report Information
The Knox County District Attorney's Office advises residents to call 911 to report active violent crimes in progress, while non-emergency incidents within Knoxville city limits should go to KPD dispatch. As of Wednesday morning, no suspects had been identified in the Royal Motors robbery. The owner reported that about $5,000 in cash was taken; it remains unclear whether any other property was taken or whether investigators suspect any connection to other recent commercial robberies in the area.
