That definitely sounds like a crime…
According to Fox 13 Memphis, police arrested 45-year-old Gary Goforth on June 1 after he was spotted drag racing in a stolen Hyundai Elantra. Now, we know what you’re thinking: how exactly does one drag race successfully with such a slow car. That alone should be a crime.
Learn what thieves stole from Memphis police here.
Considering Goforth is old enough to know a four-cylinder crapbox like an Elantra is a far, far cry from a performance machine, we’d love to know what he thought he was doing. Police detectives saw the car run red lights and weave through traffic near I-40, so they gave chase.
Since he was in a much slower car, Goforth dipped out and made the pursuit a foot chase. But he was also slower than police. Officers observed he had a backpack with a Glock tucked in his waistband, but he threw both away before he was overrun. Officers were able to recover the items he tossed.
We’re sure they weren’t shocked at all when they ran the VIN for the Hyundai and learned it was stolen. They likely already suspected it was stolen considering the tag was reported stolen from a woman’s vehicle on May 3. The Hyundai itself was reported stolen on May 23, so the recovery didn’t take too long, considering.
Memphis has been a hotbed of car theft as well as other crimes. This case points out why fighting car theft is key because criminals often use stealing cars in tandem with other offenses or to fund their other illegal activities.
Fox 13 points out that Goforth had pled guilty to theft of property in August 2022, so he was no stranger to criminal activity. This time around he’s facing a list of charges that includes charged with convicted felon in possession of a handgun, drag racing, driving with a suspended or revoked license, evading arrest, violation of financial law, reckless driving, vandalism $1,000 to $2,500, theft of property $1,000 or less and $1,00 to $6,000, and vandalism $1,000 to $2,500.
