Evolve Bank robbery marks second in two years

Owner of stolen car’s dog missing

By DON WILBURN

donaldfwilburn@gmail.com

A daring daylight robbery occurred just before noon on Friday, May 3, a high-speed chase ensued after the West Memphis Police Department noti_ed the Arkansas State Police about a stolen Black In_nity being driven by a suspect involved in an armed bank robbery on Shoppingway Boulevard at Evolve Bank and Trust in West Memphis just minutes before.

State Troopers took over the pursuit as the stolen vehicle continued east on Interstate 55, crossing the Mississippi River on the I-55 bridge into Memphis. The driver who is believed to have acted alone and was later identi_ed as Freddie Najil, 35, abandoned the car after crashing and attempted to escape on foot. A Trooper followed Najil across railroad tracks and eventually apprehended him at the intersection of West Carolina and Channel 3 Drive in Memphis at

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NAJIL ROBBERY

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11:50 a.m., con_scating a two _rearms, one of which he had taken off the bank’s security guard, and an undisclosed amount of stolen cash described by one West Memphis police of_cer as simply “a lot.”

With support from West Memphis and Memphis Police of_cers, Najil was taken into custody and is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail in Memphis. Investigation later revealed that the stolen vehicle had been taken from the Farmers Market a day prior in Midtown on May 2, 2024.

In an unfortunate twist, the car owners’ dog, Yoshi, was also in the stolen vehicle. The distraught owner has offered a $2,000 reward for Yoshi’s safe return, noting that the elderly dog suffers from sight and hearing loss and requires daily medication for hip pain.

The suspect remains in custody with the Memphis Police Department as the investigation into the armed bank robbery continues. Bank robbery is a federal offense and the Department of Justice is expected to handle the prosecution of the case.

This is the second time in just over two years that Evolve Bank and Trust has been robbed. A West Memphis man, Clyde Dear, was arrested and charged with stealing upwards of $30,000 from the bank in April of 2022.

The owner has offered a $2,000 reward for Yoshi’s safe return who was in the vehicle when it was stolen last week.

Photo courtesy of Facebook