A Memphis Man Is Charged With Robbing Someone at Gunpoint Over a $2 Lottery Ticket

Memphis police have charged a 49-year-old man with robbing someone at gunpoint over a lottery ticket worth $2. Lacorry Collins faces counts of aggravated robbery, convicted felon in possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and theft of property $1,000 or less. He has not been convicted of any of it, and the charges are allegations.

What police say happened

According to WREG Memphis, officers were called to the area of Park Ave. and Ethel St. in the Orange Mound neighborhood shortly after 3 a.m. on July 13. They found a man bleeding from the back of his head who was having trouble walking, with injuries to his left side and back that police said came from being kicked.

The victim told officers he had picked a $2 lottery ticket up off the ground and was walking along Ethel St. when he heard a man's voice behind him. He kept walking and was struck on the back of the head. When he turned around, according to police, Collins was holding a handgun and a second man punched him in the face.

Police say Collins then hit the victim twice in the head with the handgun, knocking him to the ground, and took the lottery ticket. Collins and two other men allegedly kicked him before leaving with his phone.

The case

Collins was identified in a lineup, and police said records showed a felony conviction from 2011. His bond was set at $100,000, with a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday. The Memphis Police Department did not name the two other men described in the report.

The lottery ticket at the center of the case was worth $2 and had been lying on the sidewalk. Nothing in the police account suggests it was a winner.

Tennessee lottery games and current scratch-off data are on our Tennessee page. We have covered other criminal cases involving lottery tickets, including a South Carolina woman charged with cashing stolen scratch-offs and two former store employees charged in a scratch-off theft scheme.

Sources

WREG Memphis: Man kicked, assaulted with gun over $2 lottery ticket