Two suspects who carjacked a vehicle parked on South Main last night are still on the run after last being seen in West Memphis. Police arrested Brandon Burnes, one of the three suspects, last night, after a chase ended on the westbound I-40 ramp downtown.
The situation began around 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday night, when a 28-year-old female advised police that she had been carjacked at gunpoint near the National Civil Rights Museum’s South Main entrance. According to a Memphis Police statement, the woman was sitting in her 2013 Chevrolet Camero when three men approached and a gun was pointed at her. She then opened her door and was removed from her vehicle by the men. She ran for safety as the suspects drove off in her car.
Memphis Police later spotted the Camero at AW Willis and North Main, but the car sped away. It turned south on Front and then west onto the I-40 entrance ramp as police pursued. Then the car smashed into the ramp’s guardrail, and the driver, Burnes, jumped from the vehicle. Burnes ran up the westbound ramp armed with a shotgun.
Police on foot and in a cruiser cornered Burnes. He tried to fight officers but was eventually taken into custody. During the fight, two officers and the suspect sustained minor injuries, and all were transported to hospitals in non-critical condition.
The whereabouts of two remaining suspects remained unknown at that time, but Memphis Police notified Arkansas police agencies that they might be in West Memphis. About 30 minutes later, an Arkansas State Trooper spotted the two men walking along I-40 near the Mound City Road exit. The trooper attempted to stop them, but they fled into a nearby field. They remain at-large. No descriptions have been provided.
Anyone with information about the suspects at large should call CrimeStoppers at 538-CASH. The tipster’s identity will be anonymous.