Two masked women robbed a used car dealership at gunpoint on Clinton Highway in North Knoxville Tuesday night, then ran off before officers could catch them, and as of Wednesday morning police still had not identified either suspect.
Officers Found No Trace of the Armed Pair
Knoxville Police Department officers responded to 4403 Clinton Highway after reports of an armed robbery at the location, according to WVLT. WBIR identified Royal Motors LLC as a dealership on Clinton Highway. Police described the two suspects as Black women wearing face masks and gloves, and said the pair robbed the dealership at gunpoint before running away. Officers searched the area afterward but did not locate the women.
Investigation Lands With KPD’s Violent Crimes Unit
The case has been handed to the Knoxville Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit, which operates within the department’s Major Crimes Division under the Investigations Bureau, alongside forensics, crime analysis, and Crime Stoppers liaison operations. Anyone with information is asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, which offers anonymous tipsters cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be submitted by texting “ETTips” to 738477, and the nonprofit’s encrypted tip management software is designed to prevent caller ID or phone tracking.
If caught and convicted, the suspects would face serious consequences under Tennessee law. Armed robbery at gunpoint constitutes aggravated robbery under Tennessee Code § 39-13-402, a Class B felony punishable by 8 to 30 years in prison and fines up to $25,000, since the statute covers any theft committed with a deadly weapon or an item meant to make a victim reasonably believe it is one.
A Rare Spike Against a Backdrop of Falling Crime
The robbery lands at an unusual moment for Knoxville, which has posted some of its steepest crime declines in years. The Knoxville Police Department reported a 19 percent reduction in robberies and an 82 percent drop in non-fatal shootings during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier. Preliminary 2025 figures showed reported robberies down 27 percent compared with 2024…