Blue city mayor nearly kidnapped after claiming city is getting safer: police

Just 1 time aft Mayor Paul Young of Memphis touted declining crime successful the city, a antheral was arrested for allegedly stalking and attempting to kidnap him. 

Trenton Abston, 25, was arrested Wednesday and charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated transgression trespass against Young, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD). 

Police said successful an announcement connected Facebook that nationalist and backstage information camera footage showed Abston scaling the partition to the mayor's vicinity and walking to Young's home. He was arrested with a TASER, gloves, enactment and duct portion successful his vehicle. 

Trenton Abston, 25, was arrested for stalking and attempted kidnapping of Memphis Mayor Paul Young connected June 18, 2025.  (Shelby County Sheriff's Office)

Thanks to a accelerated effect by MPD officers, arsenic good arsenic information camera footage, Abston was rapidly apprehended, the section said. 

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"We recognize the concerns raised by this incidental and privation to reassure the nationalist that the Memphis Police Department remains afloat committed to the information of each residents, including our city’s elected officials," the constabulary section said. "We instrumentality immoderate imaginable menace earnestly and volition proceed to enactment swiftly and thoroughly."

According to Shelby County, Tennessee jailhouse records, Abston remains down bars arsenic of Friday, and his enslaved has not yet been assessed. It is unclear whether helium has an attorney, and the Shelby County nationalist defender's bureau could not beryllium reached for comment. 

The fishy was arrested conscionable 1 time aft Young took to X to support the metropolis aft comments made by sports expert Stephen A. Smith, who said NBA players don't privation to play successful Memphis owed to information concerns. 

MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 25: Memphis politician Paul Young poses for a representation successful Memphis, TN connected April 25, 2025. (Photo by Brandon Dill for The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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"The radical successful Memphis, it’s a large sports municipality — large fans, large radical — but there’s an constituent determination wherever cats similar Jimmy Butler and others don’t consciousness similar it’s the safest environment," Smith said connected Tuesday's variation of "First Take" connected ESPN. 

"I’m talking to the section authorities successful Memphis. You’ve got to cleanable immoderate of that worldly up due to the fact that it’s dissuasive to NBA players. They person talked astir it. I know. They’ve told me. That’s each I’m saying." 

The remark sparked backlash from Memphis Grizzlies prima Ja Morant and from Young. 

"talkin bout the grizz much than the finals [laughing emoji] wit these [cap emoji] ahh sources," Morant posted connected X. "instead of focusing connected the performances we seen from jdub/shai, tj/Siakam, however this bid is going. We accidental sumn antagonistic astir a city/team connected a nationalist level."

Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies dribbles the shot during the crippled against the Miami Heat connected April 3, 2025 astatine Kaseya Center successful Miami, Florida. (Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Young besides weighed successful connected X. 

"Stephen called america a large sports municipality - facts," helium said. "Best fans successful sports? True. People of Memphis? Unmatched."

"But what helium is missing is that transgression is down importantly successful 2024 and 2025. We're not conscionable talking change, we're delivering it. Memphis is rising and we've got the numbers and the bosom to beryllium it." 

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Tangle of ramps for the I-40 interstate interchange astir the Renasant Convention Center successful Memphis, Tennessee. (Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

He besides thanked Memphians and Morant for lasting up for the city, and invited Smith to travel to Memphis, wherever helium is invited "anytime." 

Young's bureau and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office did not instantly instrumentality remark requests. 

MPD said the information footage was not disposable for release. 

Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.