Teen arrested for shooting from car while MNPD helicopter flying overhead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A teenager was taken into custody Friday night after being accused of firing a rifle from the driver's window of a stolen vehicle, which was being monitored from the air by a Nashville police helicopter with two crew members on board.
The Metro Nashville Police Department said Nelson Garcia-Arevalo was arrested last September, when he was 16, for firing a gun at an undercover detective and a police helicopter. After the case was transferred from Juvenile Court to Criminal Court, he was convicted of felony aggravated assault in February 2025 and given a three-year probated sentence.
Since Garcia-Arevalo, now 17, already been adjudicated as an adult, authorities said the charges being placed against him on Friday, May 23 — which include two counts of felony reckless endangerment, vehicle theft, and felony evading arrest — will also be filed in adult court.
3 teens, 1 man facing charges following gunfire in East Nashville
Meanwhile, two 15-year-olds who were in the car with Garcia-Arevalo are being charged with vehicle theft, unlawful gun possession and evading arrest at Juvenile Court, according to officials.
Law enforcement said these arrests are the result of a joint investigation between MNPD Violent Crimes detectives; agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Dickson Police Department detectives following the theft of firearms from a Dickson gun store on Thursday, May 22.
Police said the same black Hyundai Elantra that Garcia-Arevalo was driving Friday was used in the Dickson gun store case, adding that the car had been stolen from the Madison area shortly before the burglary.
MNPD: 5 charged after fleeing from police in stolen vehicle
Authorities said they recovered a rifle and four pistols take during the burglar when they arrested Garcia-Arevalo and the 15-year-olds. In addition, several other stolen guns were reportedly found in a wooded area next to an Edmondson Pike apartment complex.
According to officials, an MNPD helicopter monitored the Hyundai's movements for more than an hour Friday, during which time undercover detectives used a spike strip to deflate the tires as it pulled out of the Edmondson Pike apartment complex.
Garcia-Arevalo allegedly drove the car on flattened tires for another five minutes before he and the other two teens got out on Amalie Drive and ran into a neighborhood. After detectives flooded the area, they took all three minors into custody.
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Dickson police are set to handle any charges related to the gun store burglary and theft.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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