MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A midnight tire heist at a southwest Memphis business has landed an accused thief behind bars, but it wasn’t the surveillance footage that led to his take down.
The thief, who police identified as Antonio Guy, allegedly tried to sell the stolen goods on Facebook and his victim went undercover as a potential buyer.
Employees at CK Auto Sales on South Third Street said two men cut the fence at their business around 11:30 p.m. Dec. 20.
They worked for about an hour struggling to get the tires off a Jeep. At times, surveillance video shows one of them struggling to keep his pants up.
Eventually, police said they made off with a generator as well as four tires and custom rims worth about $3,000.
The next day, CK employee Edward Green said CK’s owner was alerted by several local racing groups that Guy was trying to sell the tires on Facebook.
So Green and his boss posed as interested buyers and agreed to meet Guy with the help of Memphis police.
“Our lives was in danger. We ain’t know was he gonna rob, shoot us or what,” Green said.
Police were already waiting for Guy when he showed up, but they weren’t expecting what he brought with him: three young kids as well as copious amounts of drugs.
“He had a newborn baby in the backseat with two stolen tires. Could have easily rolled over on that baby,” Green said.
Police said Guy took his kids along for the ride as he tried to make a getaway, before finally stopping at the Peppertree Apartments.
“He went to the same building he stayed at, jumped out his car.”
That’s when Guy’s friend showed up — the same guy Green said is helping him steal the tires in the video.
He hadn’t even bothered to change.
“Had on the same jogging pants,” Green said.
“I say that’s the dumbest crime ever,” he added. “If it wasn’t for the Memphis street racing team and Memphis police, he’d have been still out there.”
Police said Guy is only one who ended up being arrested. He’s charged with theft of property, evading arrest, child abuse and neglect as well as several drug charges.
