Residents say police searched the wrong home after cell phone store robbery

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The suspect involved in a Southaven cell phone store robbery is still missing Friday night, but new information suggests Memphis and Southaven Police may have searched the wrong home in connection to the crime.

Police say they tracked the suspect to a home on Airways and Lamar after he allegedly robbed a Southaven MetroPCS Friday afternoon. It was later reported that the suspect was not located at the home, and the police crisis team left the scene.

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WREG spoke with people at the home who say they did not even know the suspect.

William Dukes, his uncle, and his sister live at the home. Dukes said that police not only searched his house but also put him and his sister in handcuffs and placed them in the back of a police car.

Dukes says Memphis police picked him up from his job and took him back to his house where police were waiting.

“They just let me know that it was a phone stolen. They didn’t let me know what happened, how it got stolen, or where it got stolen from,” he said.

Officers say an employee was tied up during the robbery at a Stateline MetroPCS. Police later released a photo of the alleged suspect.

Memphis Police say they tracked the stolen property from the robbery to Dukes’ home.

While on the scene, WREG saw a woman who was placed in handcuffs. That woman was Dukes’ sister, Laquisha Parks.

“They asked questions and they were asking me do I know anything about the phone and I just told them I didn’t know,” said Parks.

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Police did show a search warrant, but according to Dukes and Parks, they did not find the suspect or the stolen property. However, they did leave behind damage.

Door knobs were broken, and debris was still on the floor.

Dukes says that while they were able to clean up what was left, the aggressive police action is still fresh in their minds.

“It made all of us feel traumatized,” he said.

Dukes is now calling on officials like Mayor Paul Young to step in as he is calling for answers from both Memphis and Southaven Police.

“I want my uncle to feel safe, and my sister to feel safe in our home because we have nothing to do with what’s going on,” he said.

All Memphis Police are saying about their response is that they were called to assist in a search for the suspect.

We have not received a comment from Southaven Police.

WREG will provide updates as soon as they are available.

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