A recent sentencing highlights the ongoing issues of gang violence and illegal firearm modifications in the West Tennessee area. Mekevin Woods, a 23-year-old affiliated with the hybrid street gang known as TMO 45, has been sentenced to just over three years in federal prison for possessing a machinegun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “switch.” The sentencing was announced by Interim U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
Woods’ arrest unfolded following a high-speed chase on December 23, 2023, with speeds topping 80 miles per hour, in a 25-mile-per-hour zone initiated by the Bolivar Police Department (BPD). Woods was driving a gray 2022 Infiniti Q60, which was later confirmed as stolen out of Memphis, refused to stop, and eventually ended up fleeing his vehicle into oncoming traffic, authorities reported. At one point, he was seen brandishing a firearm while attempting to escape on foot.
The Bolivar Police Department, aided by a K-9 unit, subsequently arrested Woods and found a Glock handgun equipped with a 32-round extended magazine and the illegal conversion device. This gang member, identified as part of the TMO 45, which is implicated in various criminal activities, including firearms and narcotics trafficking, and numerous shootings in Fayette and Hardeman County, is now facing the consequences of his actions. The group is noted for its mix of adult and juvenile members…