Police: 4 robbery suspects detained in South Memphis

Four men suspected in multiple robberies were detained in South Memphis on Friday at Kansas Street and Joubert Avenue, according to the Memphis Police Department.

Officers first responded to a carjacking around 7:30 a.m. in the 300 block of East Olive Avenue.

A woman told police the suspect approached her as she was exiting her vehicle. The suspect pointed a small black handgun at the victim and demanded money and her keys, according to police.

The man then took her keys and drove off in her vehicle. Officers recovered the car in the 4500 block of Watertree.

Three suspects identified by police then took a 2007 Mazda 3 and fled the scene.

Two additional carjackings in the same morning

Police then received a robbery call at 9:15 a.m. in the 2000 block of Peabody Avenue. A man told police he was robbed by three men wearing bandannas over their faces.

A fourth person was driving a silver Mazda that the suspects fled in, police said. At the time, the vehicle was last seen southbound on Diana.

Not long after, at 9:30 a.m., officers received a third robbery call in the 1700 block of Tutwiler Avenue.

A male said he was returning home while he was approached by two men holding guns. The man told police he threw his keys into his yard before one of the suspects picked up the wallet and both of the suspects ran to an awaiting car. The car fled the area heading east on Tutwiler, police said.

At 9:36 a.m., police received a call that shots were fired in the 800 block of Maury Street. A man said he was approached by two men armed with black handguns. The two suspects took the victim’s backpack and fired shots, but the man was not hit by gunfire.

The two suspects ran to a 4-door vehicle occupied by two other men. The vehicle fled westbound on Vollintine Avenue, police said.

Car chase and arrest

At 9:40 a.m., officers from the Violent Crimes Unit spotted the Mazda 3 in the area of Jackson Avenue and Evergreen Street. Police said officers followed the vehicle but it refused to stop.

The pursuit continued up to westbound Chelsea and into North Main Station, ending near FedExForum on Beale Street.

A dispatch call said the vehicle was found unoccupied at McKeller and Castex. Officers spotted the possible suspects running along the railroad tracks at going towards a heavily wooded area.

K-9s were brought into the area to conduct searches.

There were no reports of damage or injury related to the pursuit, police said.

During the search, four men fitting the description of the robbery suspects were detained. No charges have been filed at this time, police said.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to police.