Owner of stolen truck speaks out after GPS tracking led to suspected auto repair shop but no arrests made

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A car theft victim is speaking out after his truck's GPS tracking system led police to a possible auto repair shop, but he's upset no arrest was ever made.

The incident was reported just before 11 p.m. on Friday. The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was shocked to discover that his Ford F250 was stolen from the Kroger parking lot.

While calling police, the victim said he also tracked his truck using his Ford app and then followed him in his wife's car.

“I was the driver,” she said.

Her husband managed to track the location of his truck, and the last signal led him and Memphis police to a property on East Holmes Road.

According to police, the property owner said six men took the truck to the garage, saying something was wrong and that they would return the next day to pick it up.

The shop owner was caught with a set of Ford keys and a gun in his pocket. He was detained by police but never arrested.

“They let the guy go,” the victim said. “They could have at least arrested him and asked, 'Who are you working for, who are you working with?'”

According to the owner of the stolen truck, police let the business owner go because it would have been a violation of his civil rights.

According to the police report, police took fingerprints at the crime scene. However, the victim still had questions.

The owner of a stolen truck says thieves drove his vehicle to Ideal Trucking and Logistics, located on East Holmes Road across from the Amazon MEM5 Sortation Center, on Friday, August 30, 2024.(Action News 5)

“Why is my truck at a freight and logistics location at midnight? Why is a loading gate open at midnight? You know, there's just a lot going on. Why was the connection to my tracking device lost when it arrived at that particular location?”

The victim got his truck back. No arrests have been made yet.

The victim has filed a complaint with the internal department about the way the investigation was conducted.

According to Memphis Police, over 7,300 cars have been reported stolen so far this year; during the same period last year, over 11,000 cars were reported stolen to Memphis Police.

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