SHELBY CO., Tenn. — A string of armed driveway robberies is under investigation in southeast Shelby County.
In less than one hour Tuesday, five people were robbed in their driveways, including a couple along Wemberley Drive. They told officers two men approached them, with guns drawn, and demanded valuables.
The couple complied and the thieves left, but the impact is being felt across the neighborhood.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” one neighbor said. “Matter fact, we got the neighborhood program going on the internet and everybody is talking about it still.”
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office believes the robberies may be connected. In each incident, the robbers were armed with multiple weapons and seen driving away in what’s believed to be a black Kia.
The thieves also reportedly used threatening language during the encounters, telling one of the victims, “Give me all your money or I’ll kill you.”
WREG spoke with a man, who doesn’t want to be identified, that lives near where one of the robberies took place. He believes the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office needs to increase patrol.
“The only time you see them is when you call for an emergency, and very seldom do you see them patrol and going through the neighborhood,” he said.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says since Tuesday’s incidents there have not been any reports of armed robberies in the area, but they still need your help finding the suspects. If you know anything, contact the sheriff’s office.