MEMPHIS, Tenn — Thieves who took a pickup truck from a Midtown restaurant early Sunday morning didn’t make it very far after the owner of the vehicle decided to fight back.
The victim, who did not want to be identified, said he was at the Applebees on Union with a group of friends when someone in a pickup truck pushed his truck right off the lot.
“We were waiting on another friend to come, and he actually saw them pushing my truck out of the lot and called us inside and was like, ‘Hey, I think your truck is being pushed off the lot,” he said.
He said they all went outside, got into several other vehicles, and began looking for his 2022 Dodge Ram.
The victim said they found his truck about half a mile away in a neighborhood at Union Avenue and Edgewood Street. He said the suspects were trying to reprogram his vehicle when they got there, and when his friend pulled in front of his truck, someone opened fire.
“I think they freaked out when they saw a group of cars looking for the vehicle,” the victim said.
In a video captured by a neighbor’s camera, you can see one of the suspects running down a driveway and hear at least four gunshots.
The victim said the two other suspects drove away in a car and left behind his truck and a second Dodge Ram that was also stolen.
“The same exact same truck, except it was a darker gray color,” the victim said. ” The police officer told me it was a truck out of Hernando, Mississippi.”
No one was hit by the gunfire. The victim has to repair a broken window and reprogram his key but is relieved he got his truck back.
“The most important thing was that nobody got hurt,” the victim said.
Police are still looking for the suspects. If you have any information to help investigators, call CrimeStoppers at (901)-528-CASH.