Thieves steal cars and keys from 19 Memphis car lots

Some Memphis car lots are getting additional help moving inventory, but it’s not the type of help they want.

Memphis police stated the same band of thieves has been stealing vehicles and keys from 19 car lots in a two-month period starting in May.

Thieves visited Dennis Small’s Platinum Collection lot on South Third during the last month.

After getting in under a section of loose fencing, Small stated they used one of his cars to ram down his gate, and they stole a total of seven cars.

“They took BMWs, they took Mercedeses, they took two Cadillacs,” said Small.

Last week, police stated the thieves even got into the Carvana self-serve kiosk off I-40 and Appling Farms. It seems they got in by breaking down a door.

Days ago, surveillance footage shows them driving off in a stolen Chevrolet car at Quality Used Autos on Elvis Presley, where the owner said they stole two cars before abandoning one.

At Max Auto Sales on Winchester, they drove a car through the fence and broke a window, but the owner stated they didn’t make off with any vehicles.

Police were able to recover one of the cars after the thieves struck it into a tractor-trailer. Small said that car belonged to a customer who had left it at his shop for repair work.

“We’re hard-working people out here trying to make a living, and these thieves just come by and taking cars, and I think they just joyriding because they found some of the cars on the side of the road,” Small said.

Police haven’t made any arrests and haven’t revealed how many suspects they’re looking for.