Officers on the hunt for man impersonating a bounty hunter

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Deputies in Tipton County and Shelby County are on the hunt for a man they say is responsible for posing as a fake ‘bounty hunter’ and robbing people at gunpoint.

According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the first incident happened Sunday, June 4, right before 3 p.m. near a field on Collierville Arlington Road.

The cousin of the 24-year-old victim, Carlos Mireles, said he was robbed by two men at gunpoint.

“He was unhooking the trailer or something...he looked up and saw somebody to his right with a vest on and like a police badge type thing,” said Mireles.

The cousin of the victim, who does not speak English, said the suspects took his wallet and phone.

After the ‘wanna-be criminal-hunters’ robbed him, the suspects both jumped in a black 4-door sedan, believed to be an early 2000′s model of a Chevy Malibu with dark tinted windows.

“He couldn’t really see them because they had a mask on, but the one with the uniform had a tattoo. He had a heart on the right side of his neck,” said Mireles.

Detectives in Tipton County said they believe one of the suspects could be connected to a similar incident that happened Monday.

Deputies said a man claiming to be a stranded bounty hunter, flagged down a driver on Mt. Carmel Road and shot him in the stomach after attempting to rob him.

Christian Morales said he just hates the fact that his cousin who just recently moved here from Mexico became the victim of the crime.

“It’s kind of like a sad thing to know that he just came over here that he just came over here for a year for a year And he had to finish that experience,” said Mireles.

That’s why Mireles said he’s staying alert and taking extra precautions.

“I have just been locking up the doors, just re-checking them every single night as my dad has been telling me. I’ve also been locking our front gate and the front gate as well. Every time I’ve gone out,” said Mireles.

Shelby County and Tipton County deputies are working together to solve this case.

If you know any information, you’re encouraged to contact Crimestoppers at 528-CASH.

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