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Police: Mother, daughter gave children guns, drove them around to rob people

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A mother and daughter were arrested and face charges after allegedly driving children around to commit armed robberies.

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The Memphis Police Department said in a news release that there were four armed robberies beginning Aug. 7, where victims were targeted by suspects armed with guns.

On Aug. 7, officers said a male victim was shot in the left arm while he was in a laundromat. The victim told police that a male and female pointed guns at him and demanded money, and the woman fired a shot, hitting the victim, before taking his phone and driving away.

On Aug. 9, Memphis police responded to a robbery, where a victim said a man and woman got out of a car and approached him, before demanding his money while the woman pointed a gun at him. He was not hurt, and the suspects took his phone and wallet.

Police said they were called to two robberies on Aug. 10. In the first robbery, a man said that two males, one armed with a gun, approached him and demanded his property or he would shoot. The victim ran away to a nearby gas station and was not hurt.

Just three minutes after that call, police said they were called to another robbery where a victim said he was approached by two males in his driveway who took his phone and then ran away. That victim was able to provide the license plate number of the car the suspects got into.

Police caught up with the suspects — who included two 14-year-old boys — and arrested them.

In an arrest affidavit obtained by WHBQ, the teenagers confessed to the robberies and identified Lashuna Taylor as the driver of the Hyundai Sonata that had been identified as being part of the crimes. When police brought Lashuna in for questioning, she allegedly admitted to driving the boys around to rob people, WHBQ reported.

Abrianna Taylor, identified as the driver of the car identified by the last victim, was arrested and admitted to shooting a victim while trying to rob him, WHBQ reported. Abrianna also told police that she gave one of the boys involved in the robberies her gun and admitted to committing several robberies with them.

Police charged the 14-year-old boys with aggravated robbery and attempted robbery. Lashuna Taylor was charged with aggravated robbery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, child abuse and child neglect or endangerment and driving while her license was suspended/revoked. Abrianna Taylor was charged with aggravated robbery, providing a handgun to a juvenile, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and facilitation of burglary to a motor vehicle.

Police did not identify the 14-year-olds due to their age, and did not specify any relationship between the women and the boys. Police told WHBQ that officers believe the suspects may be connected to other, unreported robberies in the area.