MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man was arrested after he allegedly shot at an officer in the area of South Parkway, crashed into his squad car and then reported his car missing.
A witness said the entire incident was pure madness.
“My partner came and said ‘man, I just left the store’ and ‘dude just shot at the police,’” said Lorenzo Bynum.
He said he was with a friend Tuesday night when he heard police coming from the intersection of South Parkway and Swift Street.
“So, by the time he made it to Silverage [Avenue], he turned around and shot at the cops again. So, when he shot at the police again, the police hit the brakes. He kept going. He hit Silverage, and when he hit Silverage, that’s when he jumped out the car and ran. So, by the time police got to him, he was already on feet,” Bynum said.
Memphis Police said an officer was patrolling in the area when he heard several gunshots. The officer pulled over to investigate and noticed a black Infiniti sedan speeding in the area.
When the officer caught up to the car, police said one of the individuals in the car fired two shots at the officer. That officer was not injured.
After a chase, police said the suspect got away.
“He came back and he was on feet walking, and he walked right past police and somebody picked him up and he got right in the car and rode off,” said Bynum.
MPD said the driver left his car in reverse causing it to crash into in an officer’s vehicle.
Police later determined the car was registered to Raymond Barnes.
But, the story doesn’t end there.
Two days later, police said Barnes filed a police report claiming his car was stolen a week earlier.
However, officers checked surveillance footage from the day of the shooting, and said they saw clear images of Barnes talking to other men who were all armed with firearms.
They said footage also showed him leaving the parking lot in the Infiniti — which he reported stolen — followed by a police squad car.
Police said he later confessed to being involved in the shooting and was arrested.
Barnes is charged with attempted first-degree murder, evading arrest, filing a false report and leaving the scene of an accident.
