Eight suspects escape into woods after ‘smash and grab’ at Brasfield’s Jewelry in Covington

The “smash and grab” style of thievery has been very common in Memphis the last several months.

Now it’s happening in Tipton County.

On Monday, July 24 at approximately 2:20 a.m., eight people smashed through the glass door and Brasfield’s Jewelry in Covington and left with an undisclosed amount of jewelry.

Moments after the “smash and grab” burglary, deputies from the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office observed two vehicles fleeing south on Highway 51 near Crosstown at a high rate of speed. Deputies pursued the truck and passenger vehicle and were assisted by Munford Police Department officers. The pursuit continued into Shelby County and Millington Police Department officers spotted one of the suspect vehicles turning onto Wortham Road in Millington.

Officers observed the suspects abandon the vehicle and flee into the woods on foot. The suspects were described as three males wearing all black clothing. Two K9 teams assisted in the woods, but the suspects got way.

Detectives from the Covington Police Department assisted at the scene and discovered stolen jewelry in backpacks in the white Nissan Altima with no tags displayed. In addition, a stolen firearm reported from Memphis was recovered.

The vehicle was collected as evidence and the investigation is still developing.

“This was an example of how our Tipton County and Shelby County law enforcement agencies are working jointly to identify the suspects in these cases,” Covington Police Chief Donna Turner said in a press release. “The deputies were in the right place ‘Serving – Protecting- Caring’ at the right time to spot the suspect vehicles resulting in the recovery of the stolen items. We are asking anyone who may have information on the suspects to assist us. Detectives are working jointly with Millington Police Department surrounding the location of the vehicle. The suspects thought they could avoid being located since there were no tags on their vehicle to avoid license plate readers, but they didn’t count on officers and deputies patrolling and spotting them fleeing Covington. It was just good police work.”

If anyone has information in this incident, please contact the CPD Criminal Investigations Division at 901-475-1261. Tips can be sent in through Facebook messenger Covington Police Department or the City of Covington website.