Suspect arrested burglarizing vehicles in parking lot, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man accused of burglarizing multiple cars in a Fox Meadows-area parking lot is now in jail.

Robert Watkins, 40, is charged with two counts of burglary of a vehicle, identity theft and criminal trespass.

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According to Memphis police, around 5 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a prowler call at Discount Auto Memphis on South Mendenhall Road.

The store’s security guard said he saw the suspect, later identified as Watkins, enter the parking lot after hours. That’s when the suspect was caught breaking into unlocked vehicles and stealing items.

Watkins was later arrested when officers saw him walking north on South Mendenhall Road. Police said he had two toolboxes containing various tools.

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When police asked the suspect for his name, he gave them a false name and age three times before telling the truth.

The suspect told police he wanted to hand over the items in exchange for not going to jail because he was already on probation in Mississippi.

Watkins was arrested and taken to 201 Poplar for booking and processing.

Robert Watkins is being held in jail on $25,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.

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“We need more patrols in the Memphis area, we need more police officers. What we have is not enough,” said Muhammad Hajjeh, manager of Discount Auto Memphis.

Hajjeh says what bothers him most is that there is a police station right across the street, but the land continues to be targeted by thieves.

“We called before to talk to the chief there about what’s going on and nothing changes,” Hajjeh said.

This is the latest in a series of burglaries in the city. Another video shows thieves leaving the parking lot with their cars. Hajjeh says sometimes they don’t get their cars back and sometimes they are returned completely destroyed.

The owner also expressed concern about the safety of the security guards, saying confronting the thieves could be dangerous.

“Unfortunately, a lot of these teens have guns. No one is willing to risk their life,” said Baha Hajjeh, owner of Discount Auto Memphis.

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