MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Lock it before you leave it. This is the message from Memphis Police after a string of carjackings, break-ins, and thefts across the city.
There are new details on this troubling trend. Across the city of Memphis, you will find broken glass from windows, serving as a reminder of just how widespread this issue has become.
Days after a carjacking at a Parkway Village apartment complex, shattered glass remains feet away from where things unfolded.
A woman told Memphis Police that she was sitting in her car when a group of men approached her at gunpoint and demanded she get out and leave her belongings in the car.
The woman complied, and moments later, the suspects drove off in her 2011 Toyota Camry.
This carjacking is just one of many that have occurred over the last seven months. To put things into perspective, crime data from MPD shows there have been at least 227 carjackings, with the majority of them occurring in the southern part of the city.
This month alone, 22-year-old James Williams is accused of three different carjackings. He allegedly targeted two women on the Highland Strip, another at a business on Cherry street, and a third at a Walgreens on Elvis Presley.
He was arrested Wednesday. His bond was set at $200,000 and is set to appear in court on July 20.
In an effort to curb the robberies and carjackings, MPD recently released a series of tips for the community such as remembering to always lock your vehicle, park in well-lit areas, and install a tracking device on your vehicle.
