MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In a span of just a half hour, nearly $3,000 worth of property was stolen from Calvin Gray’s truck. A car battery, DVD player, amplifier and subwoofers were all taken.
“Ransacked everything,” Gray said.
Police say 27-year-old Adrian White broke into the truck Monday night after Gray walked into the Malco Paradiso and waited on some friends he was picking up. Gray said White got in by popping the lock on the driver’s side door.
“It sucks, yeah,” Gray said
Police said White cleaned out another truck in a nearby shopping center the night before. They said he broke the lock and stole things like a checkbook, sunglasses and a hunting rifle.
“He knew what he was doing, probably an expert,” Gray said.
An expert who made a crucial mistake. Police said he was caught on surveillance video both times. They said his getaway vehicle was a GMC Yukon Denali with lots of damage on the passenger side.
Officers arrested White at a home in a neighborhood near Getwell and Knight Arnold on Thursday after spotting that Denali outside. They found some of the stolen property and a backpack loaded with things like screwdrivers, pliers and flashlights — the kind of tools commonly used to break into vehicles.
“I’m cool with that. So happy they got him, get him off the streets though,” Gray said.
Police haven’t told him if the stolen property they found is his. Either way, Gray said things could have gone worse.
“I’m glad I didn’t come out and see him. He may have shot me seeing me, or you know?” Gray said. “I have kids to take care of.”
White is charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft. He’ll answer for those charges when he faces a judge Monday.
