Police say the victim suffered multiple broken bones after the Saturday attack on Gilleas Road.
MEMPHIS, TN — A Memphis woman was arrested on an attempted first-degree murder charge after authorities say she struck her ex-boyfriend with an SUV and ran over him several times late Saturday morning on the 500 block of Gilleas Road, then fled before officers found her at a home miles away.
Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Tanieka Ray. Investigators said the confrontation unfolded around 11:30 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 27, when a neighbor heard shouting and saw a man on the ground as an SUV circled in the street. The case is in its early stages, but detectives said statements from a witness and the injured man, along with a photo lineup, led to Ray’s arrest later the same day. The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition with injuries requiring surgery. Prosecutors will review the file for formal charging decisions as the investigation continues.
According to a police affidavit, the neighbor reported seeing an SUV making repeated U-turns near the man, who had fallen in the neighbor’s yard while trying to get away. The neighbor told officers he heard the driver threaten to run the man over again and to kill him. The witness pulled the injured man to his porch and called 911. Officers arrived within minutes to find the victim propped against a fence and unable to stand. He told police he had first been hit in the street, then run over three to four times after he slipped and fell. After the final pass, the driver sped off, striking a utility pole a few houses away before abandoning the damaged vehicle and leaving on foot, the affidavit states.
Detectives canvassed the block, collected debris from the crash and noted fresh damage to a utility pole. Patrol officers broadcast a description of the driver and the vehicle. Later that afternoon, police located Ray at a residence on the 700 block of East Davant Avenue in south Memphis. She was detained without incident. Investigators said the neighbor subsequently identified Ray in a six-person lineup. The victim’s injuries included multiple broken bones and several dislocations, according to the affidavit; doctors told officers he would need surgery. Police did not immediately release his name. The extent of any surveillance video on the street or nearby homes was not known Saturday.
Records indicate the stretch of Gilleas Road where the confrontation occurred is a residential block with narrow front yards and utility lines running along the curb, conditions that left little room for bystanders as the vehicle moved through the street. Neighbors told officers they heard tires screech and a thud, followed by the sound of a second impact. Investigators photographed skid marks and measured gouges consistent with an SUV traveling at low to moderate speed over uneven ground. No other injuries were reported on the block. It was not immediately clear where the confrontation began or how the two came to be on Gilleas Road just before noon.
Ray was booked on a preliminary charge of attempted first-degree murder, a Class A felony under Tennessee law. She remained jailed over the weekend pending a bond setting in Shelby County General Sessions Court. A first appearance typically occurs within 72 hours of arrest, where a judge addresses bond and the state outlines the allegations. Prosecutors are expected to present the case for initial review, with an arraignment on formal charges to follow if approved. Police said additional counts could be considered if further evidence is developed, including any property damage tied to the crash into the utility pole.
On Gilleas Road, residents described a brief, chaotic scene that ended as quickly as it started. One neighbor said he stepped out after hearing shouting and saw the SUV “whip around” as the man tried to crawl away. “I told him to hold on, that help was coming,” the neighbor said. Another resident said she saw the driver run off after the vehicle hit the pole down the block. Officers went door to door seeking video, and utility workers examined the pole for structural damage after the impact. By late afternoon, the street had reopened and most debris had been cleared.
As of Sunday, the victim remained hospitalized in critical condition, police said. Detectives were still collecting statements and awaiting medical updates. A bond hearing for Ray is expected early this week, with charging decisions to follow once the case file is complete.
Author note: Last updated December 28, 2025.