3 males carjack woman in Dollar Tree parking lot on Christmas Eve, return to store hours later in armed robbery attempt: Cops



Memphis police said three males carjacked a woman in a Dollar Tree parking lot on Christmas Eve — and then returned to the scene of the crime just hours later and tried robbing two people inside the same Dollar Tree store.

Police said the trio are still wanted, WREG-TV reported.

What are the details?

Memphis police said officers responded at 12:45 p.m. to a carjacking at a Dollar Tree in the 1200 block of Getwell Road.

Officers were told the victim parked her car when three unknown armed males approached her and demanded the keys to her black Audi A3. Police said the suspects took the victim’s vehicle and fled westbound on Rhodes — and the driver of a gold Mercedes, which also was taken in a carjacking, followed the Audi.

But it was Christmas Eve, after all — and the trio apparently was after a heftier gift tally.

Police said the same suspects came back to the same Dollar Tree at 5:36 p.m. on the same day and tried to rob at gunpoint two victims inside the store. Police posted surveillance video from inside the Dollar Tree showing the armed robbery attempt.

Police said the males fled the store in an unknown direction, and no arrests have been made.

Police added that those with information about this incident should call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH to leave anonymous information or submit a tip at http://www.crimestopmem.org. Police added that tipsters may be eligible for cash rewards if arrests are made.

Carjacking kids try to rob customers, police say youtu.be

How are folks reacting?

Nearly 800 commenters and counting have weighed in on WREG's story on the crime spree published Thursday by Yahoo News. Here's what a few of them had to say:

  • "These ‘kids’ live in a different society where the rules and values of our society do not apply," one commenter said. "And by ‘our society’ I mean working, building, trying-to-do-our-best type. Physically we share the same time and space, but we cannot be further apart. This will not end well for our country."
  • "I'm senior and carry," another commenter said. "I never thought about carrying 25 years ago."
  • "They are someone's children, and they are out of control," another commenter observed. "I'm sure they know what they are doing; they don't know what the results and jail time will be. This is a new generation of young people, and the way they think, they don't value themselves or anyone, they don't believe in a future or been taught to plan and make goals in life and try to be a better person than the generation before them."

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Newlywed woman, 22 — just married in October — murdered on New Year's Day during her Dollar Tree cashier shift allegedly by machete-wielding suspect



A 22-year-old newlywed woman — married only three months ago — was murdered during her cashier shift at an Ohio Dollar Tree on New Year's Day, allegedly by a machete-wielding suspect.

What are the details?

Keris Riebel had recently graduated from college and married Jordan Riebel in October, WJW-TV reported.

Police told the station 27-year-old Bethel M. Bekele allegedly entered the Upper Sandusky store around 4:30 p.m. wielding the machete and struck Keris multiple times, killing her.

\u201cPolice say 27-year-old Bethel M. Bekele surrendered to law enforcement.\nhttps://t.co/Dg5DyBUf2W\u201d
— Dayton 24/7 Now (@Dayton 24/7 Now) 1672689601

Investigators told WJW that Bekele took off from the store before law enforcement arrived but was found a short time later in the 100 block of South Fifth Street near the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office.

Bekele was booked on one count of aggravated murder, the station said, adding that additional charges could be leveled, the motive is unclear, and it isn't known if the suspect and victim knew each other.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation processed the crime scene, and the Wyandot County Major Crimes Unit is investigating, WJW said.

'I can’t imagine what they’re going through'

Family and friends remembered Riebel as bundles of flowers were laid near the store beyond the crime scene tape Monday night, the station said.

Image source: WJW-TV video screenshot

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” Kevin Simonis told WJW, presumably in reference to Riebel's young husband and their families.

The station said Simonis shops at the store and knew Riebel: "Me and my girlfriend both were in shock. We come out here all the time. We constantly see her."

Image source: WJW-TV video screenshot

A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help cover funeral expenses, WJW said.

“She was always so nice and so caring," Simonis added to the station. "Very bubbly, very outgoing, and the type of person who’d, like, take the shirt off her back for anybody and not hurt a fly, honestly.”

Simonis added to WJW that he "can’t imagine going through that, even to lose a child at all. I have a 17-year-old and just the thought of that" before he paused and began tearing up.

After gathering himself, he added to the station that "it really hits hard."

Dollar Tree to hike prices for first time ever as inflation soars and the supply chain continues to see disruptions



In a historic move, America's longstanding one-dollar variety store, Dollar Tree, will hike its prices to offset costs associated with global supply chain disruptions, inflation, and other economic challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

The retailer announced in a press release Tuesday that for the first time in its 35-year history it would be raising the cost of most of its products from $1.00 to $1.25.

The change, which will be fully implemented by early 2022, came in response to a sales downturn driven by "historically-high merchandise cost increases, including freight and distribution costs, as well as higher operating costs, such as wage increases," according to CEO Michael Witynsk.

Witynsk said the new price point will allow the company to return to "its historical gross margin range" of 35% to 36% next year, He reportedly added it will also allow the discount chain to introduce new products and sizes as well as bring back "traffic-driving products" that had been discontinued due to the one-dollar constraints.

The CEO insisted that raising prices was "not a reaction to short-term or transitory market conditions," but at the same time admitted that the new price point will help manage the business "in a volatile, inflationary environment."

Elsewhere, he conceded that "expectations of continued volatility and uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and other macroeconomic factors" drove the decision.

It's obvious to most that America's rapidly changing economic landscape under the Biden administration was a factor in the decision. Even NPR acknowledged that soaring inflation likely played a major role.

"Each year, the value of a dollar is eroded by inflation, making a dollar price commitment more difficult to maintain," the news agency remarked, noting, "Last month, inflation reached the highest rate since 1990."

"Dollar Tree's rivals have been veering away from strict $1 prices — or even $5, in the case of Five Below" for quite some time, it added. "Now, the final stickler is conceding."

For the last three decades, the discount chain battled through various periods of rising inflation, but the economic struggles currently hitting corporate America under President Biden proved to be the final straw for the one-dollar holdout.

Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index for October recorded a 6.2% increase over the last year, marking the largest increase in consumer goods prices in over 30 years.

Dollar Tree is just the latest large company to respond to the economic crises by raising costs on consumers. In October, McDonald's announced that it would be jacking up menu prices to offset costs associated with America's labor shortage and supply chain crises.