MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The man charged in the fatal Thursday morning crash that killed a veteran Memphis police officer was driving on a revoked license, court documents show.
Marquell Griffin, who was allegedly intoxicated when he slammed into Lt. Myron Fair’s car at Austin Peay and Yale, had already been convicted of three previous DUIs. He was charged with a fourth DUI following Thursday’s crash.
Griffin has a lengthy criminal history that spans his entire adult life.
Since 1987 he’s been charged with burglaries, as well as drugs and weapons charges. But perhaps the most concerning part of his record is his three previous DUIs.
His first DUI conviction came in 1997 when he also pleaded guilty to fleeing from police. He had two back-to-back DUI offenses in 2014, only a month apart.
Griffin’s drivers license was revoked after a May 2014 DUI. But he apparently ignored the court’s order and drove again, only to rack up another DUI weeks later.
In June 2014, police said he sped past them, then jumped a curb and landed in a Whitehaven yard. Other drivers reportedly had to drive off the road to avoid being hit.
Griffin’s case history shows he was sentenced to almost a year in prison, but most of that sentence was suspended in favor of probation.
