MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A stolen police shotgun is somewhere on the streets of Memphis, last believed to be in the hands of a violent criminal who's also on the loose.
The MPD weapon was taken Tuesday morning at the same time an officer's cruiser was stolen and set on fire early New Year's Day. The bizarre crime took a scary twist with the revelation of the stolen shotgun.
The investigation involves the Memphis Police Department, arson investigators from the Memphis Fire Department and the FBI.
"My momma had told me about it," says 17 year old Collis Moore. "She was just like 'ya'll hear about what happened to the police?' I said no."
Moore lives right down the street from where the stolen cruiser was abandoned and set on fire. The 12 gauge Remington shotgun inside it was taken.
"I moved here last year," he says. "This is a quite neighborhood. It's mostly old people that live over here."
The FBI's Safe Streets Task Force is investigating.
Police believe the man who did it was also involved in an earlier armed carjacking. The suspect, described as a black male between 20 and 23 years old, wrestled away from three officers to steal the squad car.
It was found around 5 a.m. on New Year's Day, crashed into a guardrail at Montgomery and Snowden on fire, the gun missing.
"They probably didn't want the police to catch their hand prints on the gun or the car," says Moore's cousin, 10 year old Prentiss Walton.
The suspect is on the loose, described as having a medium build, last seen wearing a green shirt and blue jeans.
Memphis police aren't commenting on the investigation. Neither is the FBI. Anyone with information on this incident should call CrimeStoppers at (901) 528-CASH (2274). You can also submit your tip at 528cash.org, or text the word AWARD to 274637 (CRIMES). You will remain anonymous, and you could be eligible to receive a cash reward.
