NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Five teenage boys were taken into custody early Saturday morning after they reportedly led Nashville law enforcement on a pursuit and ended up in an apartment containing guns and burglary tools.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said officers from the Hermitage Precinct responded to reports of vehicle break-ins at the 2800 block of Elm Hill Pike around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1. Law enforcement had already received a call about a firearm stolen from a vehicle at the Nashville Palace on McGavock Pike.
Authorities said they were near the intersection of Donelson Pike and Royal Parkway when they saw a tan Hyundai Elantra leaving from the stretch of hotels on Royal Parkway that matched the suspect vehicle description.
Officers reportedly followed the car as it turned from Donelson Pike onto Interstate 40 West before activating the lights and sirens on their marked patrol vehicles. However, rather than stopping, the driver sped off, according to officials.
Police said their helicopter followed the car until it pulled over on Charles E. Davis Boulevard. Then, the five occupants of the vehicle — described by law enforcement as two 16-year-olds, two 17-year-olds, and 18-year-old Lecestur Seats Jr. — got out and ran into a vacant apartment at the Tony Sudekum Homes.
After the teens refused to come out of the apartment — despite the fact that they didn’t have permission to be in there — authorities said they went inside and took the suspects into custody.
“In plain view in the apartment, which had been under investigation in relation to vehicle thefts, were five firearms, glass breaking tools, flashlights, gloves, and extra pistol magazines,” the MNPD said in a statement Saturday evening. “Recovered from the Elantra were multiple credit cards/identifying documents belonging to different individuals that were not the registered owner. The steering column to the car had been stripped and there was evidence of tampering with the ignition. Immediate efforts to contact the registered owner were unsuccessful.”
One of the 17-year-olds admitted during his interview that he was driving, according to officials. As a result, he’s charged with felony evading arrest, juvenile handgun possession, aggravated trespassing, and possession of burglary tools.
Police said the other three minors have been charged with juvenile handgun possession, possession of burglary tools, and trespassing.
As for the 18-year-old, authorities reported Seats is charged with four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, aggravated trespassing, and possession of burglary tools.
Officials said they are still investigating the teens’ potential involvement in vehicle burglaries and theft, so more charges are possible. No additional details have been released about this case.
