A late-morning trip to the bank in Memphis’ Binghampton neighborhood turned into a scare on Friday, when a 45-year-old woman allegedly waved a butcher knife at employees inside a financial center and the Dollar Tree next door before being tracked down and arrested, according to police. Officers said they recovered the knife and took her into custody after a brief search through nearby streets.
Police: Threats Inside Simmons Bank and Dollar Tree
Memphis Police identified the suspect as Kimly Lightfoot, 45. Investigators said Lightfoot walked into the Simmons Bank location in the 500 block of Tillman Street around 11 a.m., demanded to use a phone and was brandishing a butcher knife while she did it. The bank manager told officers that Lightfoot threatened to kill him, allegedly saying, “I’ll kill you, motherf*****,” before leaving the building.
According to police, Lightfoot then went into the Dollar Tree next door, where workers told investigators she pulled the same knife after being refused a dollar. Officers later spotted a woman matching the suspect’s description in the 600 block of Franklin, recovered a butcher knife and detained her. Victims from both businesses identified Lightfoot, and investigators said the encounter inside the bank was captured on video, as reported by WREG.
Booking and Charges
Police charged Lightfoot with aggravated assault. According to booking information, victims at both the bank and the Dollar Tree identified her before she was transported to the Shelby County Jail, where she was booked on the felony charge, according to Arrests.org. Officials had not released any bond information at the time of the report, and officers said they were still completing paperwork to send the case to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
Past Conviction Noted by Investigators
Court records reviewed by police show Lightfoot pleaded guilty in 2024 to attacking a grocery-store owner on Summer Avenue with mace. In that case she was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in confinement, with 9 months and 11 days of the sentence suspended and credit for 78 days already served, according to WREG. Investigators noted that prior conviction as they handled Friday’s call, and at least one employee interviewed by reporters said he believes the woman is struggling with mental-health issues.
Where It Happened
The back-to-back confrontations unfolded along the Binghampton commercial strip on Tillman Street near Sam Cooper Boulevard, a busy corridor lined with small shops and services. Simmons Bank lists its Memphis Binghampton branch at Simmons Bank, and Dollar Tree’s store locator shows its neighborhood outlet at Dollar Tree. The arrest stirred fresh worries among workers and nearby residents about safety along that stretch of Tillman…