3 accused of robbing tow truck driver hauling police-seized car


MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police say a tow truck driver hauling a police-seized car was followed and held up at gunpoint in Frayser Tuesday afternoon.

B & C Towing & Recovery said one of their drivers had just picked up an Infiniti involved in an arrest and was towing it to the city impound lot when he was robbed at North Watkins and Burnham.

“A vehicle pulled up beside him. A gentleman pulled out a gun and pointed it at the driver, and they went through the vehicle. Grabbed some things out of it,” said B & C Operations Manager Angela Inman.

Cameras at N Watkins & Burnham captured robbery, police say. WREG photo

Police said surveillance cameras at the intersection showed a man get out of a blue Honda Accord with a gun, jump on the bed of the wrecker, and throw items out of the Infiniti.

They said a woman in a pink wig also jumped out of the blue Honda and grabbed the items thrown off the tow truck.

“Our driver happened to be near our shop when the incident took place,” said Inman. “Luckily, we had an employee still on site, and police did apprehend the suspects.”

4000 block of N. Watkins in Frayser

Police said they were able to track the Honda to a home in the 3800 block Drayon Cove in Raleigh and took 25-year-old Louis Balfour, 23-year-old Breyanna Richardson, and Carleon Chapman into custody.

Investigators said they found the items taken from the Infiniti, a pink wig and four weapons, including a Draco and an Anderson AM-15 rifle. They said Richardson also admitted she owned the blue Honda.

(L to R) Louis Balfour, Breyanna Richardson, and Carleon Chapman

The tow truck driver told police the man on the bed of his truck was there when he towed away the Infiniti, and officers on the scene told him he couldn’t take anything out of the car.

Inman said their drivers are out there trying to help the police department and citizens, but the job is getting more and more dangerous due to the increase in crime.

“We are finding more wrecked cars with masks and guns,” said Inman. “We turn everything into MPD we come across.”

Balfour, Richardson, and Chapman are charged with aggravated robbery. They are scheduled to go before a judge on Thursday.


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