A juvenile is in custody after allegedly stealing a Nashville Fire Department brush truck and using its onboard radio to threaten drivers before crashing into an officer's patrol vehicle and two civilian cars in Southeast Nashville. Metro Nashville Police say the pursuit ended Thursday night at the intersection of Murfreesboro Pike and Una Antioch Pike after officers deployed spike strips that blew out one of the truck's tires.
According to WSMV, the teen keyed up the truck's built-in radio, tuned to public safety frequencies monitored by emergency dispatchers, and explicitly stated over the airwaves that he was going to run people over while driving the stolen fire apparatus. That threat, broadcast in real time to first responders across the region, escalated what began as a vehicle theft into an active public safety emergency before the chase even reached its violent end.
Police say the pursuit terminated when the disabled brush truck collided with two civilian vehicles and an officer's patrol vehicle near the Murfreesboro Pike and Una Antioch Pike intersection, a busy commercial corridor in Southeast Nashville. The juvenile hit the officer's vehicle during the crash sequence, per the station's report, and was ultimately taken into custody at the scene.
A Costly Theft Under Tennessee Law
Exactly how the teen gained access to the brush truck and its keys remains an open question, as does the precise dollar amount of damage inflicted on the three vehicles struck when the chase ended. What is clear is the potential legal exposure tied to the vehicle itself: under Tennessee Code § 39-14-105, theft of property valued between $10,000 and $60,000 is a Class C felony, while theft of property valued between $60,000 and $250,000 — a range that specialized emergency brush trucks typically meet or exceed — is a Class B felony carrying 8 to 30 years in prison for adults, according to legal reference materials outlining the statute. Because the suspect is a juvenile, any charges would move through a delinquency petition in juvenile court rather than adult criminal court, and it remains unclear exactly what specific charges Metro Nashville Police and the Davidson County District Attorney's office intend to file.
Not the First Time a Teen Has Commandeered a Municipal Vehicle
Thursday's incident is far from an isolated case in Middle Tennessee. In May 2023, a 14-year-old stole a school bus in Antioch, struck a fuel pump, attempted to run someone over at a gas station, and led police on an Interstate 40 pursuit exceeding 65 mph before officers tased and arrested him when he tried a U-turn to dodge spike strips, according to Business Insider. That case ended with charges including vehicle theft, aggravated assault, evading arrest, and reckless driving.
Emergency vehicles themselves have proven vulnerable elsewhere in the region this year. In August, a 35-year-old man escaped from EMS personnel along Interstate 840 in Rutherford County, stole a Tennessee Highway Patrol cruiser, and flipped it on Interstate 24 near Smyrna during a police chase, as Hoodline previously reported. And Nashville Fire Department property has been targeted before: in December 2024, a woman burglarized a fire station on 45th Avenue North, took gear and credentials, then stole an employee's pickup truck from the facility.
Juvenile Vehicle Theft Remains a Regional Flashpoint
Metro Nashville Police have repeatedly grappled with juveniles behind the wheel of stolen vehicles in recent months. In February, Metro police teamed with LaVergne and Smyrna departments in a multi-agency operation that arrested seven juveniles, ages 10 to 15, after two stolen vehicles were driven erratically and into oncoming traffic across county lines, per the Metro Nashville government. In June, three teenagers were arrested in South Nashville following a stolen SUV pursuit in which an 18-year-old suspect rammed a patrol vehicle before fleeing on foot.
Those recurring cases have fueled a broader policy fight over how Middle Tennessee handles young offenders. Early 2025 investigative reports found that juvenile car theft offenders were serving significantly less time in detention facilities compared to 2023, spurring debate between juvenile court judges favoring rehabilitation and state lawmakers pushing for stricter detention penalties, per WSMV's earlier reporting. Nationally, the picture looks somewhat different: FBI Crime Data Explorer figures published in August show reported motor vehicle thefts across the country dropped 15.0% between May 2025 and April 2026 compared to the prior 12-month period, even as Nashville continues to see high-profile juvenile cases involving commandeered emergency and municipal vehicles.
