Alleged car thief faces charges after trying to sell it back to owner

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) – A 20-year-old Memphis man is being held in the Shelby County Jail on $100,000 bail after police say he stole a car and tried to sell it back to the owner.

Marvin Roper is charged with theft of vehicles, vandalism, two counts of evading arrest, possession of a machine gun, careless driving, reckless endangerment, alteration/falsification of vehicle tags, extortion and driving with a suspended license.

Jail records show Roper was charged Monday. It also shows there are four active indictments against him.

According to an arrest affidavit, a man’s 2017 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack was stolen on Thursday, October 3rd.

Four days later, Roper allegedly tried to get the victim to meet him at Harbor Freight on Summer Avenue to trade in the car for $2,300.

The vehicle has an estimated Kelley Blue Book value of $30,872.

The owner of the car reported the matter to the police, and several task forces went undercover and waited outside the store.

Officers watched as a Dodge Challenger pulled into the parking lot, followed by a white Buick Envista that police said was being driven by Roper’s girlfriend.

Investigators saw Roper get out of the stolen car, but MPD says both vehicles then left the parking lot and headed to a nearby gas station.

Officers attempted to gather in the parking lot while Roper was at the gas station.

He allegedly ran out of the store and drove off in a stolen Challenger as soon as he recognized the blue lights and sirens, leaving his girlfriend behind.

Police say she was detained and questioned, but Shelby County Jail records show she was never charged.

MPD says Roper led a reckless and dangerous pursuit west. Roper managed to get gas at a gas station on South B.B. King Boulevard before abandoning the car in a nearby neighborhood and running away.

During a search of the vehicle and area, officers reportedly found a Glock pistol with a conversion switch, four Glock magazines, two extended Glock magazines, a box of ammunition, a Dodge key fob and several loose rounds of ammunition.

A counterfeit Tennessee temporary tag was found inside the vehicle. Police noted in the affidavit that several hints were immediately made that it was a fake.

Police also say $3,700 in damage was caused to the Challenger, which had a broken shifter and ECM port.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter!

Click here report a spelling or grammatical error. Please include a title.