Background: A section of Treadwell Street in Memphis, Tenn. (Google Maps). Inset: Iysha Chapman (Shelby County Sheriff's Office).
When a woman in Tennessee realized her car was about to be towed, she tried to get in the vehicle and drive off before shooting the driver, authorities say.
Iysha Chapman, 26, has been charged with aggravated assault, Shelby County court records state. She is in jail on a $150,000 bond.
According to an affidavit of complaint, a man with a towing and recovery company said he and his co-worker "received a repossession order" to tow a 2015 Lincoln MKC. On Wednesday at about 3:45 a.m., they headed to the address they were given — a home on Treadwell Street in Memphis, Tennessee, where Chapman was staying.
One of the men said that when they got there, a woman — identified later as Chapman — "came outside and asked to get some stuff out of the vehicle." The men "allowed her to retrieve her personal items and told her to contact the lien holder concerning the matter."
However, when the tow truck worker asked her for her keys back, she "refused to give them to him" and stated, "you all will have to drag it," the court document states. The man said he got in the truck and prepared to do just that.
As he was inside the truck, the man stated he heard the defendant say, "I will kill you," and she allegedly fired a gunshot and hit the other worker — who was not in the truck — in the shoulder. The wounded worker hopped in the vehicle, and the men drove away and called 911.
Officers with the Memphis Police Department arrived at the Treadwell Street location and spoke with Chapman. She reportedly said she came outside of a home and noticed her vehicle was being towed. "She advised she missed a payment on Monday but thought she had a five-day grace period," the affidavit states.
The defendant continued, claiming "she attempted to jump in the vehicle and drive off when one of the tow truck drivers stopped her from getting inside of it by pushing her back."
Chapman "felt helpless," she recounted, so she "went in her purse," pulled out her firearm, "and fired a shot striking the male in the shoulder."
Investigators got a search warrant and seized a teal .380 Glock that had five live rounds in it. When the wounded tow truck worker was later shown a photo lineup of six people, he reportedly "positively identified Chapman."
The defendant was arrested and booked into jail; she is expected to appear in court on Monday.
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