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Little Italy closed day after hatchet-wielding burglar found inside

Johnathan Taylor (Courtesy: Shelby County Sheriff's Office)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police said they caught a burglar with a hatchet red-handed inside Little Italy in Midtown Sunday.

Officers say they were on patrol in the 1400 block of Union at around 11 p.m. when they noticed a hole in the glass door of the pizza restaurant.


Little Italy in the 1400 block of Union Avenue (Photo by Melissa Moon, WREG)

When they approached the business, they saw blood on the door. Police said they also observed a man, later identified as Johnathan Taylor, inside with a money bag and a hatchet beside him on the floor.

Little Italy’s broken front door has been repaired, but the restaurant was closed Monday night, and you could still see blood on the building.

Photo by Melissa Moon, WREG
Photo by Melissa Moon, WREG

MPD said Taylor was transported to the Regional One Medical Center to be treated for injuries he received during the break-in. Officers at the scene said Taylor told them he recently smoked crack cocaine and that having a seizure made him break into the business.

Taylor was charged with burglary of a building. He is scheduled to go before a judge on Tuesday.