Man trying to steal car after test drive accidentally shoots himself, Tennessee cops say
A man accidentally shot himself when he pulled a gun out during an attempted car robbery in Tennessee, police said.
A 26-year-old man went to Champion Auto Sales, a car dealership, on Jan. 26 and asked to test drive a car, according to an arrest affidavit from the Memphis Police Department.
The man was with one of the dealership’s employees, who told police he was “uneasy” while trying to sell the car to the man because he was “acting peculiar,” police said.
The salesperson completed a test drive with the man, and when they finished, the employee took the keys with him, according to the affidavit.
The man then got out of the car and “demanded” that the salesperson give him the keys, police said.
The salesperson refused, according to the affidavit, and the man told the salesperson if he didn’t hand over the keys, he would kill him.
The man pulled out a handgun, and the two men began to “wrestle over control of the firearm,” police said.
During the tussle, the gun fired, hitting the man trying to steal the car in the neck, according to the affidavit.
He ran from the dealership but was quickly apprehended by police and taken to the hospital for treatment, police said.
The man later appeared with a bandaged neck in an inmate photo, jail records show.
He was charged with aggravated robbery, according to court records.
This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Man trying to steal car after test drive accidentally shoots himself, Tennessee cops say."
