A 34-year-old man was arrested after a woman reported he sexually assaulted her while riding a WeGo bus in downtown Nashville, with surveillance video capturing him walking up to her and grabbing her breasts, according to Metro police. The man, identified as Edys Uvaldo Gonzales-Aguirre, was booked into the Metro jail and charged with sexual battery by force, with bond set at $15,000.
According to WKRN News 2, the victim was sitting on the bus when she noticed a man who appeared intoxicated staring at her and gesturing toward her breasts. She got the driver's attention, and the driver instructed her to move to the front of the bus to avoid the man, the station reports. Once the bus returned to the station, officers were alerted to the situation.
Officers worked to interview Gonzales-Aguirre, but he was reportedly too intoxicated to be interviewed at the time. The bus station involved is located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in downtown Nashville, per the same account.
Third Violent Incident on WeGo Buses in Weeks
This alleged assault follows two other violent felony arrests aboard WeGo buses within the same stretch of days. On August 25, 2026, a 41-year-old man was arrested and charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault after pulling a six-inch butcher knife on security guards aboard a downtown bus, a case Hoodline previously covered in detail. Security officers had boarded that vehicle at Representative John Lewis Way and Demonbreun Street after reports of a disorderly passenger.
A day earlier, on August 24, 2026, a 30-year-old passenger was charged with felony aggravated assault after threatening another rider with a crochet needle during an argument over dropped earbuds, according to WKRN News 2. Transit altercations in downtown Nashville have increasingly resulted in felony charges, the station has reported.
Security Upgrades Amid Record Ridership
The incidents come as WeGo Public Transit reports reaching 10.6 million rides in August 2026, marking its highest annual ridership total in 11 years, according to WeGo Public Transit. Recent expansions in service frequency and contactless fare options have fueled that growth, even as safety concerns mount across the system.
WeGo operates more than 200 digital surveillance cameras across its bus fleet and transit hubs, which helped investigators obtain the footage documenting the alleged assault. The cameras provide evidence after the fact but cannot physically stop crimes as they happen.
WeGo also contracts with Archangel Protective Services to provide security guards across its fleet and stations, working alongside off-duty Metro Nashville police officers, according to the Nashville Council District 19 Newsletter. The MTA Board approved that contract in early 2025 as part of a $6.3 million security expansion.
City Response to Transit Safety Concerns
In February 2025, Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Police Chief John Drake appointed Captain Brian Williams as the department's first permanent transit liaison to coordinate public safety across WeGo facilities, according to Nashville.gov. That position was created following a 14-month national transportation system security review. Metro officials have also approved an agreement establishing a dedicated 29-officer transit policing division within the Metro Nashville Police Department, though the unit required final Metro Council approval before full deployment.
Safety concerns at WeGo facilities are not new. In February 2026, Metro Nashville Police investigated a physical assault against a female WeGo bus driver at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center, also located on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which serves as the primary hub where WeGo buses end and restart their daily routes.
Potential Legal Consequences
Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-505, sexual battery by force is classified as a Class E felony, carrying a potential penalty of one to six years in prison and fines up to $3,000, according to FindLaw. Conviction also requires registration on the state sex offender registry under Tennessee Code § 40-39-207, though successful completion of judicial diversion allows for potential registry removal upon court order, per the Brooks Law Firm. Mandatory registration remains active during any court-ordered diversion period.
