MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The injured suspect who was involved in the shooting in the retail center parking lot on Poplar in front of Huey's restaurant Sunday, April 30 was arrested Tuesday, May 10 Memphis Police Department said.
MPD issued an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Chase Harris on May 2. He now faces five charges of aggravated assault, theft in the amount of $10,000 to 60,000, auto burglary, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
MPD said Harris was shot and suffered critical injuries while exchanging fire with an off-duty MPD officer after the officer reportedly caught him and several others breaking into a car in the Huey's restaurant parking lot located on of Poplar Ave on April 30.
Harris arrived at St. Francis Hospital after the exchanged gunfire in the Huey's restaurant parking lot, MPD said.
He was then transferred from St. Francis Hospital to Regional One Hospital in critical but stable condition and treated for his injury.
Harris was released from the hospital before investigators connected him to the parking lot shooting.
Background Information
On Sunday, April 30 around 7:15 p.m., surveillance video showed Harris, who was driving a 2022 Lexus ES350 with a Georgia license plate, pull up behind a Dodge Charger parked in the parking lot near the Huey's restaurant located in a shopping center at the 4700 block of Poplar Ave., the affidavit said.
Harris got out of the driver's seat, walked over to the Dodge Charger, and broke the right rear passenger window, the affidavit said. A second suspect wearing a white hoodie got out of the Lexus and entered the Dodge Charger, the affidavit said.
Harris and the second suspect were then confronted by the off-duty MPD officer as they were entering the Dodge Charger, the affidavit said.
Investigators said the off-duty officer approached Harris and the other individuals and announced that he was an MPD officer.
The affidavit said a suspect who was still inside the Lexus fired shots at the off-duty officer from out of the window.
MPD originally reported that the off-duty officer returned fire at the suspect.
The suspects in the vehicle fled the scene.
MPD said the off-duty officer was not injured in the encounter.
Anyone with any additional information about other suspects involved in the shooting can contact CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH or 901-528-2274.
Huey's speaks out
Huey's released the following statement Monday morning:
"Friends of Huey’s: We know many of you are saddened and worried by the events that occurred in the parking lot of our Huey’s Poplar location last night, as are we. To bring clarity to the situation, we wanted to share information about what happened according to local reports. Last night, an off-duty police officer was leaving our Poplar location after a meal. According to police reports, while in the parking lot, he came across three individuals that were attempting to break into a vehicle, and when he confronted them, he was shot at by the suspects. He began to shoot back, striking one of them. One person is in a nearby medical facility in critical but stable condition, and the officer is uninjured. No one inside of Huey's was harmed or confronted. We know that it is always unnerving to hear of any type of violence in our city. We want to thank our employees at this location, who responded quickly and diligently to ensure customers inside our store took cover and remained as safe as possible until the situation outside cleared up. Our team will continue to take precautions to ensure our stores’ safety and to preserve the atmosphere we’re known for. We appreciate all of you for your unrivaled support and for checking in on our team members during this time. Our Poplar location is back up and running and will be open to welcome customers today."
What witnesses had to say
Several people who were out with their families eating and enjoying their Sunday witnessed the encounter and the shooting.
“That’s so crazy. It’s literally three businesses from where I work,” said Liliana Jonkus, a Fantastic Sams employee.
She works in the same plaza where that Huey's is located.
“Recently, there was a shooting at the Memphis library right there, so I feel like it’s starting to seep in towards the normally safer areas.”
Jonkus said security always patrols the plaza, but they have recently made changes.
“The security car recently changed. They added another car that’s a little low key. I feel like since people haven’t been seeing the normal security cars with the light and everything on, they’ve been a little less scared to do things around here," said Jonkus.
Despite the shooting, Jonkus said she still feels safe in the area.
“I feel like this is still a pretty safe area and the things that have been happening are not necessarily explainable but not quite out of the ordinary for Memphis,” said Jonkus.
Previous Warrants for Harris
According to court documents, Harris' had had previous warrants for auto burglaries that took place at Waffle Cream on S. Cooper St. and Urban Outfitters on Central Ave. on April 3.
On April 3. surveillance cameras showed Harris, who was driving a gray Infiniti, pull up to a 2022 Mercedes Benz parked across the street from Waffle Cream on S. Cooper St on April 3, the affidavit said. He stole a Louis Vuitton purse, HP laptop and $200 from the vehicle.
Later that day, a victim of car theft reported that someone pulled up to his 2013 Audi A7 vehicle driving an Infiniti and busted his rear passenger window, the affidavit said. The suspect stole an Apple iPad and Apple laptop while his car was parked at Urban Outfitters, the affidavit said.
Investigators processed fingerprints from both vehicles, and the fingerprint impressions processed from the Mercedes Benz and from the Audi A7 were a match for Harris, the affidavit said.