The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) released a video last week taken from a helicopter showing a 16-year-old boy leading officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle before fleeing on foot.
For the 4TH TIME this year, a 16 yr old Nashvillian has been arrested for car theft. Tue night he was driving a Hyundai, stolen in Clarksville on 8/5. He refused to stop for officers. An MNPD helicopter followed him to Judd Dr., where he was arrested & a 2nd stolen vehicle found. pic.twitter.com/m6ZTYsCwBN
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) August 23, 2023
“For the 4TH TIME this year, a 16 yr old Nashvillian has been arrested for car theft. Tue night he was driving a Hyundai, stolen in Clarksville on 8/5. He refused to stop for officers. An MNPD helicopter followed him to Judd Dr., where he was arrested & a 2nd stolen vehicle found,” MNPD wrote in a tweet in addition to sharing the video taken from above the scene.
The teenage driver was initially spotted by MNPD detectives in the department’s Violent Crimes division as he was driving at a high rate of speed in a Hyundai Sonata with a temporary tag that was registered to a Toyota Avalon in North Nashville, according to a press release by MNPD.
The boy fled as the detectives initiated a vehicle stop and was followed to Judd Drive, where he fled on foot. As shown in the helicopter footage, the boy was quickly apprehended.
The Sonata was reported stolen out of Clarksville earlier this month, according to MNPD, adding that another stolen vehicle, a Toyota Camry, was recovered nearby.
The boy was charged in juvenile court with vehicle theft, evading arrest, reckless driving, driving without a license, and possession of burglary tools, MNPD notes. This latest instance marks the fourth time the teenager has been arrested for car theft.
MNDP urged Nashvillians to lock and remove all valuables from their vehicles when left unattended to avoid auto theft.
In addition, MNPD urges residents to “park smart,” meaning avoiding leaving vehicles in unattended public parking lots for extended periods of time, as a vehicle is five times more likely to be stolen from an unattended lot than from the street or attended lot.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
