Police say a man long known for flagging down drivers on Nashville interstates was arrested on July 19 after allegedly stopping traffic on a freeway to beg for gas money. Paul J. Aniel now faces five misdemeanor counts, including pedestrian solicitation in a roadway, violating controlled-access highway rules, obstructing a passageway, aggressive panhandling and evading arrest, after officers say they found him standing in traffic and watched him run back to his vehicle when they moved in. Arrest affidavits say his conduct put other people on the road in danger. He is expected to appear in Davidson County General Sessions Court on the new charges.
According to WSMV, officers responded after a caller reported someone stopping traffic to solicit money. A driver who had stopped on the roadway told police that Aniel asked for cash, according to the arrest affidavit. The document says Aniel ran back toward his vehicle when he saw an officer approach, which helped lead to the evading arrest charge. Police described the encounter as risky both for drivers and for the person standing in the middle of live traffic.
A long history of similar scams
The latest arrest fits a pattern that local outlets and neighborhood groups say they have watched unfold for years. WPLN has documented community efforts to track the alleged scammer and his many prior bookings. Local TV coverage by NewsChannel 5 lays out the recurring routine: flagging cars on ramps, claiming to be a traveling salesman and promising to mail back money later. Taken together, those repeated reports have helped frame the behavior as an ongoing public-safety concern rather than a string of isolated incidents.
What the law says
Metro law defines and bans “aggressive panhandling,” listing conduct that includes blocking a person’s passage, continuing to press after a refusal, touching the person being asked for money and soliciting near ATMs, bus stops or building entrances. The Metro Code also outlaws panhandling in roadways and after sunset, mirroring the safety concerns police highlighted in the arrest affidavit. Violations can draw fines or criminal charges, and local leaders have long debated how to enforce the rules while still acknowledging the humanitarian side of visible poverty.
Next steps
Aniel is due back in Davidson County General Sessions Court on the new counts, according to WSMV. Prosecutors, police and Metro council members have previously wrestled with how to curb repeat roadside solicitation without simply cycling people through short jail stays, a tension described in reporting by WPLN. For now, the new misdemeanor charges will work their way through the General Sessions calendar while officials continue weighing enforcement and outreach strategies that keep traffic moving and people safe.
