A late-night street racing sweep in South Nashville ended with 12 people in custody, including seven teenagers, after Metro Nashville police rolled out a targeted Street Racer Initiative on Saturday night, according to authorities. Officers who moved in on several car meetups reported drivers trying to bolt from traffic stops, people firing off fireworks from moving vehicles, and the recovery of weapons and drugs as the operation unfolded.
Two Drivers Face a Stack of Charges
According to WZTV/FOX17, MNPD says a Ford Mustang on Antioch Pike near Haystack Lane fled officers twice before the department's aviation unit helped track and stop the vehicle. Police say 26-year-old Michael Urena admitted he took off from officers and now faces charges that include inciting a riot, evading arrest, reckless endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of minors. He is being held on a $45,000 bond.
In a separate stop on Nolensville Pike that ended near Zoo Road, officers detained 19-year-old Granados Zavala and five passengers, four of whom were teenagers, according to police. Investigators say they recovered three weapons, including a BB gun, along with THC vapes and marijuana. Zavala is jailed on a $44,000 bond.
Part of a Sustained Traffic-Unit Push
Police describe the latest round of arrests as part of a broader Street Racer Initiative aimed at breaking up organized takeovers and risky stunt driving in South Nashville before they spill over into serious crashes. The department has leaned on similar tactics in recent weeks, including aviation support to trail vehicles that try to run, as outlined in a Metro Nashville Police Department release on a May 10 operation that ended with multiple arrests after drivers did donuts and burnouts on I-24.
Neighbors and the Crackdown Ahead
MNPD's Traffic Division says it is not easing off the gas. The unit will continue digging into street-racing groups and targeting meetups that put bystanders in the line of fire, officials told WZTV/FOX17. Recent operations have brought in both adults and juveniles and have involved disabling vehicles, seizing cars and other evidence, and trying to head off the kind of high-speed chaos that can end with innocent people hurt on South Nashville streets.
