MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two men were arrested Sunday after police say they were driving recklessly on ATVs near the Memphis airport, and an officer was relieved of duty after hitting one of the ATVs.
According to police, officers were in the area of Lamar Avenue and Knight Arnold Road around 4 p.m. when they spotted 12 to 15 ATVS driving recklessly into oncoming traffic. The suspects refused to stop and continued westbound on Knight Arnold Road.
At one point, Justin Griham, 18, allegedly struck one of the officer’s squad car and was arrested.
Another officer continued to follow the group and was on Tchulahoma when Emmanuel Meniru, 20, allegedly went off road and aimed his vehicle at the officer’s patrol car.
While attempting to stop the suspects, an officer hit two ATVs, police said.
Both suspects requested they be taken to the Regional Medical Center after the incident. Authorities said they were transported in non-critical condition. They were booked into the Shelby County Jail on multiple charges including disregarding a red light, intentionally evading arrest in a car, evading arrest and reckless driving.
The officer who struck the suspects’ ATVs has been relieved of duty pending an ongoing investigation into the officer’s actions, police said.
In 2019, MPD said they planned to increase patrols to address the illegal use of ATVs. But the number of ATV disturbance calls is staggering.
In 2020, the department received 777 calls, and so far this year, 211 calls, that’s almost 1,000 calls in the last 16 months.
