A 20-year-old Mt. Pleasant man is accused of vehicle break-ins spanning several Middle Tennessee counties. Metro Nashville police arrested Laquarius Bumphus after spotting him at a Charlotte Pike gas station; officers say they recovered two stolen guns and a key-fob programmer from his vehicle. Bumphus ran when ordered to surrender, police said, and a woman riding with him was also arrested.
According to WKRN News 2, Metro Nashville Police Department vehicle crimes detectives had spotted Bumphus and knew he carried multiple out-of-county warrants. When he pulled into the gas station, officers ordered him to surrender. He ran and was apprehended, while Tearia Hatton, who reportedly climbed into the driver’s seat and tried to leave, stopped when officers ordered her to do so.
Officers searching the vehicle found two stolen guns. FOX 17 reported that the search also turned up two stolen pistols, multiple key sets and fobs, and a key-fob programmer. One recovered vehicle had been stolen from Murfreesboro and another from Brentwood, WKRN reported. Investigators say Bumphus is a person of interest in cases spanning Murfreesboro, Wilson County, Brentwood and Maury County, and possibly beyond. FOX 17 specifically tied the investigation to break-ins across West Nashville, Belle Meade, Brentwood, Murfreesboro and Lebanon.
A Separate Nashville Case Involved a Key Programmer
There is a separately documented local example of vehicle-programming equipment in an investigation, but it does not establish how the device was used in the Bumphus case. In a Nashville case reported July 29, 2025, WKRN News 2 said court documents indicated a key-fob programmer was attempting to connect with a stolen 2018 Nissan Maxima before two young women were arrested.
How a Belle Meade Tip Cracked the Case
WKRN reported that the investigation included surveillance footage from Belle Meade showing a masked man trying car door handles and rummaging through vehicles over two days. Police said the suspect first appeared near Warner Place around 6 a.m. on Nov. 6, arriving in a silver Chevrolet Equinox. He may have entered roughly half a dozen vehicles that morning and taken cash and a key fob, but left behind the pickup truck the fob belonged to.
The next morning, Nov. 7, surveillance footage showed what police believe was the same man burglarizing three cars in broad daylight. The footage captured him holding a gun while going through one vehicle, WKRN reported. Belle Meade police also encountered a Dodge Challenger during the incidents that drove off when officers tried to stop it. At the time, Lieutenant Mack Mangrum urged residents not to confront the suspect and instead to call police with information.
WKRN reported that after its coverage of the Belle Meade break-ins aired, the owner of the Dodge Challenger recognized the car and contacted police, saying it had recently been stolen from him in Wilson County. The Belle Meade department said the call provided investigators with new clues and led multiple agencies to combine information from their investigations. Bumphus emerged as a suspect, and Metro police later spotted the Chevrolet Equinox seen in the surveillance footage. Police arrested him on Nov. 11; one recovered key fob reportedly started the stolen Challenger.
Companion Arrested, Child Found Unsecured in Back Seat
Metro police also announced the arrest of 25-year-old Tearia Hatton of Mt. Pleasant, who was taken into custody alongside Bumphus. Police said Hatton’s 1-year-old son was unsecured in the back of the vehicle during the encounter, though he was unharmed. Hatton is now facing charges of child endangerment, attempted evading arrest, not having her son properly restrained, and driving on a suspended license, per the WKRN report.
Hatton posted an $11,000 bond and is no longer in custody, according to MNPD. Bumphus remains jailed at Metro Jail, with FOX 17 reporting his bond was set at $100,000 as of Thursday. WKRN reported that Bumphus carries an extensive record that includes conspiracy, multiple thefts, and more than a dozen auto burglary charges, and police say they anticipate additional charges as the investigation continues.
A Pattern Police Have Seen Before
The Bumphus case is not the only recent Middle Tennessee investigation involving vehicle break-ins across multiple locations. WSMV reported that police earlier this year followed a stolen Nissan Maxima to break-ins at the Hilton Garden Inn at Opryland, a Country Inn and Suites, and The Sound Apartment Complex, before intercepting driver Marcellus Brown in Murfreesboro.
For now, the Bumphus investigation remains active, with police signaling more charges could follow as detectives continue tracing the stolen guns, vehicles and key fobs recovered across the multi-county spree.
