A 44-year-old man is facing three felony charges after Metro Nashville police say he robbed an unhoused woman at gunpoint on Woodland Street, allegedly convinced she had taken a handgun he had lost in the area. Officers say James Harris was taken into custody after a brief pursuit and later admitted, while in custody, to confronting the woman.
According to WKRN News 2, officers responded to the 500 block of Main Street on Saturday after a robbery-in-progress call. The victim, who is experiencing homelessness, told officers that an unknown man confronted her in the 400 block of Woodland Street, took her bag at gunpoint, threw it on the ground, and rummaged through it before she watched him enter a nearby home. Police were unable to find the handgun during their investigation.
Harris was charged with aggravated robbery with a weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of cannabis with intent to distribute, along with multiple misdemeanors. His bond was set at $37,000. Police say Harris has a criminal history in Davidson County, and officials say he believed the woman may have taken the handgun he lost near the scene.
What Officers Found in His Backpack
Arrest documents cited in the station's report show that a search of Harris and his alleged backpack turned up two grams of cocaine, 38.8 grams of cannabis, 6.6 grams of oxycodone pills, and two scales. Those items led to the added drug charge, on top of the aggravated robbery and firearm counts.
Under Tennessee Code § 39-13-402, aggravated robbery committed with a deadly weapon is classified as a Class B felony, punishable by 8 to 30 years in prison and fines up to $25,000, according to Justia Law. Separately, unlawful firearm possession by a convicted felon under T.C.A. § 39-17-1307 is typically a Class C felony carrying 3 to 15 years, but can escalate to a Class B felony if the felon's prior conviction involved violence or a deadly weapon, per N. Cate Law.
Mandatory Minimums Could Stack Harris's Sentence
Tennessee law under T.C.A. § 39-17-1324 also mandates separate, consecutive prison terms — without parole eligibility — for possessing or using a firearm during a dangerous felony, according to Freeman & Fuson. That statute could compound Harris's exposure if prosecutors pursue the firearm enhancement alongside the aggravated robbery and drug charges.
The alleged robbery unfolded within MNPD's East Precinct, a stretch of Woodland and Main Streets that sits near East Park, where the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee has noted the precinct hosts community safety events like National Night Out. The neighborhood has seen other armed robbery arrests recently — Hoodline previously reported on a machete robbery near Shelby Avenue in March and a felon arrested after a neighborhood shooting in April.
A Citywide Drop in Robberies, But Unhoused Residents Remain Vulnerable
Citywide, robberies in Davidson County fell to 866 in 2025 — the lowest annual total since 1969 and a 26 percent drop from 2024, according to Nashville District Attorney General Glenn R. Funk. Local prosecutors have noted that arresting active serial offenders strongly influences those annual declines.
Still, unhoused Nashvillians remain especially exposed to violence. The Metro Nashville-Davidson County Office of Homeless Services counted 2,298 people experiencing literal homelessness on January 22, including 655 unsheltered individuals, a 5.4 percent increase from 2025, per the Tennessee Tribune. A national study by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council found that half of surveyed unhoused people reported being victims of violent attacks while homeless, with 85 percent of those victims sustaining physical injuries or psychological trauma.
It remains unclear whether the handgun Harris allegedly believed the victim had taken was ever recovered, or whether it connects to the broader pattern of stolen firearms circulating through Metro Nashville. Investigators have not said whether the weapon has surfaced elsewhere in the city.
