Members of the Memphis Safe Task Force arrested a group of people Tuesday, Sept. 15, after officers serving an aggravated robbery warrant found them unloading a stolen commercial shipment of frozen chicken from a semi-trailer behind a motel.
The stop happened in the rear parking lot of the Economy Inn at 3896 Lamar Avenue, near Old Getwell Road. Officers arrived about 9 a.m. looking for Javunte Johnson, 33, who had an outstanding warrant for aggravated robbery. They found Johnson and others transferring boxes from an 18-wheeler into passenger vehicles. People fled when police appeared. Officers said they took everyone they pursued into custody.
The cargo was a Koch Foods frozen-chicken shipment that originated in Morton, Mississippi, and was supposed to go to Swedesboro, New Jersey. The U.S. Marshals Service initially valued the pallets at $250,000. Memphis police later told FreightWaves that Koch Foods valued the load at about $110,000. That $110,000 figure is the valuation confirmed by police after they spoke with the shipper…