A Tennessee mother and her three children were victims of a carjacking outside a Burger King in Memphis, where suspects stole their recently purchased SUV and injured family members. Authorities arrested two individuals in connection with the incident that unfolded during a routine drive-thru visit. The family emphasized their need for the vehicle amid the sudden attack.
On a Monday night, Kristin Gillia pulled into the drive-thru of a Burger King on Winchester Road in Memphis, Tennessee, with her three children in their 2007 Ford Edge, which she had purchased just four days earlier. Upon realizing the order was missing fries, she decided to go inside the restaurant to resolve the issue, taking one daughter with her while instructing her other two children to lock the doors and remain in the vehicle.
Moments later, the children rushed inside, alerting Gillia that someone was attempting to take the SUV. She hurried back outside and confronted the situation, attempting to insert herself between the suspects and the vehicle. "I just got the car. Me and my kids need it," Gillia recounted to local media. As she reached for her phone, one suspect pushed her away and reportedly instructed another to "put it in drive."
The suspects fled in the Ford Edge, but not before allegedly running over Gillia's foot and pulling one of her children from the vehicle, shoving the child to the ground. A witness later discovered a gun at the scene, and the SUV was recovered parked on a nearby road.
Gillia and one of her children received treatment at a local hospital for their injuries. Authorities arrested Alexis Kearney, 31, charging her with carjacking, and Antonio Alexander, 25, who faces felony charges of theft of property and theft of a firearm, along with misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault and assault.
Alexander appeared in court on Friday, while Kearney is set for a mental evaluation on March 12. The incident highlights vulnerabilities during brief separations from vehicles, though police have not released further details on the suspects' motives.