EAST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — “We just want to feel safe.”
That’s how East Nashville residents describe their current state of mind after they say around a dozen cars were broken into just on their street.
Metro police said they’ll have extra patrols after multiple cars were broken into across East Nashville last weekend on the following streets: Gallatin Rd., Main St., Woodland St., Russell St. Pennington Ave., Dellway Villa, Oakwood Ave., and more.
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“Russell has a history. I like this street because it’s a mix of people,” said Rebecca Weiner Tompkins.
But now, all Weiner Tompkins can see is broken glass scattered across her street. “There were 12 cars on this street then Holly Street, Edgehill, Lockland Spring, then up further out near Porter Road.”
Her truck was also broken into in front of her home. She said thankfully nothing was stolen. “It’s the usual thing, I think people say what are people looking for? Guns. Because many people leave their guns in the car.”
According to recent Metro Nashville Police data, over 1,200 guns were stolen from vehicles in Davidson County in 2024—73% of guns stolen were taken from cars.
“Yesterday, I was supposed to spend the day with my grandkids, but I couldn’t get them because I spent hours cleaning up the glass, taping the windows,” Weiner Tompkins said.
However, this isn’t the only crime Weiner Tompkins fell victim to this holiday season. She said this happened just moments after she saw UPS dropping off packages on her doorstep. “Literally ten minutes later my phone beeped again, and I saw someone come up and take a stack of packages.”
Her home is surrounded with alarms and a Ring doorbell camera for her safety. She said unfortunately they didn’t deter criminals.
“The bottom line is people want to feel safe, all of us do. No matter what kind of background no one wants to feel like they can’t live their lives…it’s an emotional feeling where it feels like someone is against you,” Weiner Tompkins said.
Metro police remind citizens to remove firearms and any valuables from their vehicle and to never leave their keys inside the car.
