(Photo: Fox 13 Memphis)
A would-be thief in Memphis tried one of the oldest tricks in the book last weekend, but he didn’t count on his target being armed.
Surveillance video shows a woman with a handgun chasing the suspect away from her husband, who is standing with his hands up outside a home in a residential neighborhood.
“She’s bold. She ain’t scared of nothing,” the owner of the home told local media. The woman in the video is the homeowner’s niece, who he says was visiting with her husband.
Police say a man in a blue hoodie approached the suburban house on Sunday afternoon and asked to use one of the victim’s phones and then asked for a ride. This is a common tactic used by thieves to gain access to a home or a car.
“People are so bold now day’s just broad daylight on a Sunday come up to you and try robbing you,” the homeowner said.
Video doesn’t capture shots being fired, but the victims say the woman fired a warning shot and the suspect fired back.
“She said she didn’t want to kill him, but when he fired back at us after she fired the warning shot,” the homeowner said. “She said she was trying to hit him then but didn’t.”
The homeowner is just grateful he, his niece, and his nephew-in-law survived the encounter.
“Thank the good Lord he was watching out for all of us.”
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A report from January indicates that while the murder rate in Memphis declined last year, aggravated robberies like the one attempted on Sunday are up 8.3 percent.
Property crime is also up, driven by a 23.9 percent increase in auto thefts in Memphis over last year and a 20.4 percent increase countywide.
“The overall level of violence remains unacceptable,” said Crime Commission president Bill Gibbons in a statement. “Implementation of a number of key steps this year in the Operation: Safe Community crime plan can help drive down the level of violence.”
Memphis added more police officers last year for the first time in six years, adding officers to the Multi-Agency Gang Unit as well as violence intervention programs.
Memphis police said the gunman in Sunday’s incident ran toward the back of the house and escaped. They’re requesting that anyone who might be able to identify the would-be thief contact CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.
Woman needs training.
Should have shot the POS not a warning shot.
Video looks fake
Warning Shot are an extremely bad idea. Can anyone really predict where the warning shot will come down so we know it won’t strike someone and kill them? You draw the gun for a reason because either your life or someone else’s life is in danger. You may or may not have to shoot depending on the circumstances but if you have to shoot understand that you are using deadly force and the criminal will likely die. If you can’t handle that then do not carry in the first place.
Bob you are wrong. When you fire up the bullet will go up till it loses all of it’s energy. Then it will start falling it will reach max velocity the speed reached until air resistance stops it from falling faster. A average 9mm bullet has about 79 mph or 110 fps, a 45cal has about 90mph or 132 fps. A 9mm has about 1250 fps and a 45cal has about a 880 fps both fired from a pistol. At the falling speeds if they struck you head you might get a good cut or even a fractured skull. It would hurt but not kill you
The only thing I am struggling with here is the “warning shot”. In the News video, it looks like she fires into the air. And, I’m assuming the robber is running away, since he is off camera. The couple appears to be in the open, continuing movement in the direction of the robber. Are warning shots permitted in Tennessee? And, was it necessary in this case?
Warning shots arent allowed here in TN the lady doesn’t need to be carrying if she isn’t prepared to actually shoot someone.
Update to this is that the mother of the would be robber recognized him and turned him in to the police.