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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An 18-year-old is accused of pistol-whipping and robbing one man and attempting to rob another at an ATM in Whitehaven.

Omarion Brewer is facing several charges, including aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, and attempted aggravated robbery.

Paulinofederio Castillo said he was withdrawing money from an ATM in the 1600 block of Winchester at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when a man came up behind him, hit him twice in the head with a gun, and took $600. Castillo needed several stitches for the gash above his eye.

Robbery victim Castillo

“They came up behind me and put a gun in my back, and when they started checking my pockets, I wasn’t going to give them my money, and after that, they proceeded to hit me on my eyebrow and took off with my money,” said Castillo.

Police said Brewer tried to rob another man at the Bank of America ATM, but the victim got away and attempted to follow the suspect.

ATM on Winchester, where a robber targeted two customers (Photo by Melissa Moon, WREG)

The victim told police the suspect got into a new silver Honda Civic with three other individuals.

The second victim also told investigators he recognized the suspect from his old neighborhood and sent them a picture of the suspect. Police said the victim was able to pick Brewer out of a photo lineup.

Omarion Brewer (Courtesy: Shelby County Sheriff’s Office)

Brewer is also charged with being a felon possessing a dangerous weapon and being held on a $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

Police have closed this case while unfortunately, investigating more. A 67-year-old woman was also a victim.

“The guy just rushed up on me and had a gun and was saying giving me the money give me the money give me the money he was all up on me,” she said.

It happened in broad daylight on a Saturday under a security camera. Police released the footage hoping someone would recognize the brazen thief with the gun.

Police also arrested a pair last month who they say shot a man serving an ATM and stole thousands from the machine.

The FBI reports an increase of robberies at or involving ATMs. WREG Investigators submitted an open records request to see how many Memphis Police have responded to.

U.S. Representative John Rose from Tennessee spoke to Nexstar’s NewsNation about his bipartisan push with Rep. Glenn Ivy from Maryland to make most ATM robberies a federal crime.

“We have had this problem all across the country, especially in my district, where we have had serial robbers and we’ve seen the ATM robbery rate rise dramatically in recent years,” Rose said.

Meanwhile, Memphis Police are asking people to remain vigilant and are offering the following safety tips:

  • When using ATMs, switch up locations and don’t create a pattern of always going to the same one.
  • Try and utilize ATMs during business hours and daylight hours, and If you must go at night, go to one in a well-lighted area.
  • Be aware of your surroundings and people lingering close by.
  • While completing your transaction at the ATM, be sure to hide your PIN number from onlookers. This provides you with a second layer of defense should your card be stolen or lost.
  • It may feel safer to stay in your vehicle; however, you’ll want to ensure your passenger windows are rolled up and all doors are locked.