MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Multiple car dealerships in the Mid-South have been hit by car thieves, causing what some are calling a “pandemic of crime.”
A case in point of Memphis car dealerships under assault is recent video of a daring break-in at Mercedes Benz of Memphis.
“We have had over 40 break-ins of new car dealerships. We have had over 50 cars collectively stolen,” said Kent Ritchey, president of Landers Auto Group and Greater Memphis Automobile Dealer’s Association.
But what may be new is how these bold and brazen car thieves carry out their crimes at dealerships in Memphis, West Memphis, Southaven and Bartlett.
“What we typically see is an adult will pull up in one, two or three cars and seven, eight, nine will jump out of the same car and descend on a dealership,” Ritchey said. “We had as many as 17 kids. The ones that have been caught are aged 11 to 17. Most of them are children and I don’t know how they drive the cars.”
About half of the suspects are girls.
The rash of burglaries began back in March. Many of the cars have a collective price tag of more than a million dollars.
“We get them back. Most are badly damaged,” Ritchey said. “A lot of them are totaled, and with the new technology on automobiles, we have the ability to shut the cars down and the ability to instantly track them.”
A few suspects have been arrested.
“They know they’re not going to be locked up, they know they won’t be kept, and police can’t chase them,” Ritchey said.
For now, dealerships are working fast and furious to hire additional security to put the brakes on what they call a car theft pandemic.
“You’ve got to shut your stores down at night like it’s Fort Knox all of this during COVID-19,” Ritchey said.
Below: Video taken on Poplar Avenue after a recent theft at a Mercedes dealer.
