Two teenagers were arrested Friday after surveillance video captured them smashing through the front glass of a Murfreesboro pawn shop and hauling away a cache of firearms in under two minutes. Police say both suspects were located and booked into the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center, and the investigation is still active. The quick, brazen theft has rattled nearby merchants and thrown fresh spotlight on a wave of recent smash-and-grab burglaries around the city.
Security footage shows the theft unfold
Security camera footage reviewed by local reporters shows two people using a tire iron to force their way into TC's Pawn before sprinting straight for the gun cases, according to NewsChannel 5. Investigators told the station the thieves grabbed about 15 firearms along with several boxes of ammunition and were in and out in roughly 90 seconds.
Murfreesboro police say juveniles were charged
WKRN reported the incident is among several recent retail burglaries under investigation in Rutherford County. According to the station, investigators say the suspects smashed the pawn-shop front, fled on foot and were later taken into custody. Both juveniles were charged in juvenile court and booked into the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center, with officials withholding identifying information because of their ages.
Part of a wider pattern, police say
Local officials say the pawn-shop break-in fits a larger pattern of aggressive burglaries targeting gun stores and small retailers this spring. City releases have described earlier cases where suspects rammed vehicles into storefronts to grab merchandise before speeding away. The Murfreesboro Police Department has highlighted its Real Time Crime Center and automated tools in recent investigations, and detectives have leaned on license-plate-reader footage to crack related theft cases. WSMV reported on one such probe earlier this month.
What comes next
The two juveniles remain in custody while investigators chase additional leads and prosecutors review the case, according to officials. Local coverage dating back to 2024 shows Murfreesboro businesses wrestling with repeat smash-and-grab and ram-into-store thefts, a recurring headache for small retailers. Last year, one outlet tracked a related gun-store burglary involving a stolen car and a similar grab-and-go escape.
