MPD officer injured during attempted car theft at Kroger; 3 suspects on the run, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis Police officer was injured during an attempted car theft at a local Kroger.

Memphis Police responded to an aggravated assault at a Kroger at 3444 Plaza Ave. on Dec. 19 just after 3 p.m.

Police were working a holiday detail patrol at the location when they were flagged down by a civilian who said people were trying to steal a car from the Kroger parking lot.

Officers saw three suspects and began issuing verbal commands.

All three suspects refused commands to stop, MPD said.

They ran toward a black Nissan Maxima with Texas tags.

One officer ran to the open driver’s side door and attempted to remove a suspect, MPD said.

The driver refused all commands to stop and threw the car in reverse while the officer was in the door, MPD said.

The officer was injured after being thrown to the ground.

Another officer said the suspect’s vehicle hit four other cars on the Kroger lot while attempting to escape.

All suspects were wearing ski masks and one was armed with a handgun, MPD said.

A witness said one suspect was possibly picked up by a white Infiniti sedan.

Both vehicles were last seen going westbound on Poplar Avenue from Prescott, MPD said.

The officer was taken to St. Francis in non-critical condition.

A witness took video footage of the incident and shared it with police.

One witness, Reese Johnson, said she felt like the scene was something she could only see in a movie.

Her SUV was the first vehicle to get damaged while the suspects were trying to get away from police.

“My radiator bust,” she said. “My front fender like the bumper on my nice little truck. So hopefully it isn’t too bad, that’s what we got insurance for.”

She said the suspects ran into her vehicle before backing up because they couldn’t go anywhere.

“It was about three cars that got hit in the process,” she said.

If you know anything about this crime, call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.