By Steve Neavling
Three adults and a teenager were charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Memphis police officer and an ATF agent in Tennessee.
The shooting occurred about 2:30 p.m. Friday when officers with a violent crimes unit were searching for a carjacked vehicle that was involved in a crash, Memphis police said on Twitter. The four suspects exited a red sedan and fired multiple shots at the officer and ATF agent before fleeing the scene.
The officer and agents were taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities arrested Adarius Armstrong, 19, Barium Martin, 19, and a 17-year-old.
U.S. Marshals tracked down a fourth suspect, 19-year-old Julius Armstrong, who was briefly at large.
“With a Memphis Police Officer and ATF Agent Shot and a suspect on the run, finding the suspect became our number one priority, as we worked to assist our local and federal partners,” U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller said in a statement. “We have used every means possible and were able to locate him within 12 hours. With the assistance of MPD and ATF, we were able to take the suspect into custody with no injuries to him or any law enforcement officer.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Mickey French added, “Removing the criminal element that uses firearms to facilitate violent crimes is a priority of ATF. ATF’s partnerships with the Memphis PD and the U.S. Marshals Service in the arrest of these individuals will have a lasting impact on the community.”
