COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — Two suspects are now wanted by police after allegedly carjacking a woman at gunpoint in Collierville.
The woman told authorities she had just arrived at the Dogwood Creek Apartment Homes late Tuesday night when two men approached her vehicle. They pointed a gun at her and demanded she get out.
Both suspects jumped into the car and sped down Houston Levee Road.
Authorities released a vague description of the suspects, saying they were both dressed in black with masks. The one who pointed the gun at the victim had a yellow or orange “V” on his hoodie.
Thankfully, the victim was not hurt in the incident.
“Generally, this is a safe area. I have not been afraid or concerned something like that could happen. I’m surprised to hear it,” a Collierville resident Cindy Trammell said.
Police saaid this marks the third carjacking they could find in their database since January 2016.
It’s a stark comparison to other cities in the county.
WREG uncovered an unsettling trend in Memphis.
According to the Memphis Police Department, there were 141 carjackings in 2015, 195 in 2016 and 205 last year.
It’s a steady incline that Mayor Strickland partially blames on the judicial system.
“We need tougher state laws to keep these violent criminals in jail for a longer period of time. These repeat offenders are a big part of our problem,” Mayor Jim Strickland said.
In 2016, Tennessee lawmakers passed a new law that requires carjackers spend at least 75 percent of their sentence behind bars before they’re eligible for parole.
Before that, they were getting sentences of 8 to 30 years but only spending 30 percent behind bars.
“The way that our justice system is, it’s a revolving door. It’s very frustrating, and they’re not being held or locked up,” said Strickland.
Collierville residents told WREG this isn’t a city versus city issue. It’s a crime problem we all need to solve
“I’m not somebody who’s going to say we’re Collierville or Germantown, and they’re Memphis. I work in Memphis. I live out here. Nobody wants to live in a crime area, so criminals get out of here,” a Collierville resident said.
If you can help call the Criminal Investigations Division at (901) 457-2520 or Collierville Crimestoppers at (901) 457-2247.
