A dozen indicted for Memphis retail-store break-ins
Officials from the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County District Attorney's Office announced the arrest of 23 individuals and the indictment of 15 additional suspects for their alleged roles in a retail theft ring June 26. (The Daily Memphian file)
Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy announced 12 more indictments as part of Operation Broken Bottles.
The operation, first announced in June, was part of a coordinated effort to target smash-and-grab burglaries at various locations across the city.
Mulroy said 12 more people have been indicted as part of the retail theft operation during a Tuesday, Dec. 12, press conference.
“We hope that there’ll be an Operation Broken Bottles two sometime in the near future because this is a serious problem, and we need to focus on this,” Mulroy said. “I want to make sure the public understands what our attitude is about these smash and grabs: In short, enough is enough. We’re looking at them. We’re prosecuting them. And we’re going to put them away.”
Memphis police arrested 23 individuals who were allegedly part of a “mob-style smash-and-grab” burglary ring, local officials announced during a press conference Monday, June 26.
An additional 15 suspects were indicted for allegedly organizing the crime ring. Tuesday’s announcement brings the total number of people indicted from the operation to 27.
Several individuals were arrested by the Multi-Agency Gang Unit during the Memphis Police Department’s Operation Broken Bottles; they were said to have allegedly targeted 21 businesses, mostly liquor stores, in the past seven months. The suspects used sledgehammers and stolen vehicles to force their way into storefronts, causing significant damage.
Mulroy said as of Tuesday, 18 individuals were still in custody and three were at large with active warrants for their arrest.
“The message should be clear. If you commit these crimes, you will be prosecuted, and you will go to prison.”
Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy
“The message should be clear. If you commit these crimes, you will be prosecuted, and you will go to prison,” Mulroy said.
Mulroy said businesses should ensure they have operational security cameras. He also encouraged business owners to join the Connect2Memphis initiative to connect those cameras to MPD.
The DA’s office did not provide the names of the 12 newly indicted individuals.
Deion Byrd was one of the suspects indicted for his role in Operation Broken Bottles.
Byrd, 25, was fatally stabbed by another inmate while waiting to appear in court in October.
Donnie Clay, 21, has been charged in Byrd’s death, with first-degree murder and possession of and taking contraband into a penal facility.
Clay allegedly killed Byrd while they both awaited court appearances behind Shelby County Criminal Court Division 1 Paula Skahan’s courtroom.
Topics
Operation Broken Bottles Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy Memphis Police DepartmentBen Wheeler
Ben Wheeler is an investigative reporter and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. He previously worked at the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan and Herald-Citizen.
Public Safety on demand
Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.