18-year-old Avonta Gregory was charged with property theft and evading arrest after joyriding in a stolen Mercedes-Benz and running from the police.
On November 9th, Memphis Police Officer J. McHugh responded to a motor vehicle theft at 700 Mount Moriah Road. When he arrived, Bruce Hopkins explained to him that his black Mercedez-Benz C300 was stolen. According to Bruce, he left his vehicle running while removing clothes at Goodwill when a male got inside the vehicle and drove away. John Corner, the loss prevention manager at Goodwill, told Officer McHugh that Bruce was followed into the parking lot by a silver SUV that had multiple occupants inside and that one of them got out and stole the Mercedes.
Per the affidavit, Bruce tracked his car to the area of 3088 Kathy Cove and notified the police. As officers arrived at the location, they witnessed several males running from the Mercedes-Benz. After chasing him down, Avonta was located inside a parked semi-truck and taken into custody. Per the affidavit, Avonta waived his Miranda rights and stated that he paid a friend ten dollars for a ride in the vehicle while knowing it was possibly stolen. The Mercedes was valued at approximately $30,000.
Avonta was later charged and arrested for property theft and evading arrest. He is currently jailed in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
