In a quiet Southwest Memphis neighborhood, a breakup turned deadly when 39-year-old Tanieka Ray allegedly used her SUV to chase down and run over her ex-boyfriend multiple times. The victim, left broken and bleeding on the ground, fought for his life as neighbors rushed to help. This shocking incident on Gilleas Road has left the community stunned, highlighting how quickly domestic disputes can spiral out of control.
It all started around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 28, in the 500 block of Gilleas Road near Nonconnah Road. Police say Ray and her ex had been living together, but things soured recently. He wanted to end the relationship and cut ties, which didn’t sit well with her. She grew upset about being asked to leave and started acting out, leading to the violent confrontation.
According to the victim’s statement to police, Ray hit him with her black SUV as he tried to run away. He slipped and fell in a neighbor’s yard, but that didn’t stop her. She allegedly drove over him three or four times, crushing his body under the wheels. While he lay there helpless, Ray shouted threats and profanities, yelling that she would run him over again and kill him. The scene was chaotic, with Ray making U-turns in the street to carry out her rage.
A nearby resident, Carlos Brantley, heard the commotion and looked outside. He saw the injured man leaning against a fence in his yard, looking like he might be dead at first. Brantley, with help from the victim’s brother, pulled the man to safety on his porch and called 911. The victim was wailing in pain, his body mangled from the assault. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital in critical condition, where doctors found multiple broken bones—including both hips, a fractured spine, and a broken ankle—along with dislocated body parts and a ruptured main artery in his left leg. He needed immediate surgery, but thankfully, he’s expected to survive.
After the attack, Ray sped off but didn’t get far. She crashed her SUV into a utility pole a few houses down, then jumped out and fled on foot. Police tracked her down later that afternoon, around 4 p.m., at a home in the 700 block of East Davant Avenue in South Memphis. Brantley identified her in a six-person lineup, confirming her as the driver. When questioned at the Airways police station, Ray invoked her right to remain silent after being read her rights and declined to speak without a lawyer.
Ray now faces a charge of criminal attempted first-degree murder. She appeared in court Monday morning, December 29, before Judge Greg Gilbert. He set her bond at $250,000 and warned her that if convicted, she could spend 15 to 60 years behind bars. She’s due back in court on Tuesday for another hearing. This isn’t Ray’s first brush with the law—she was arrested in September 2020 on five counts of aggravated assault after allegedly firing a gun at a group of people during a family cookout in South Memphis.
The victim, whose name hasn’t been released, gave a clear account from his hospital bed, naming Ray as his ex-girlfriend and describing the terror of trying to escape. Neighbors like Brantley can’t shake the image of the man propped against the fence, his life hanging by a thread. It’s a reminder of how breakups can turn violent, and in this case, one man’s decision to move on nearly cost him everything.
