NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Metro Nashville Police arrested two Maury County-area suspects Wednesday afternoon in a multi-jurisdiction investigation into auto burglaries and vehicle thefts. Detectives also recovered two stolen handguns and a key fob programmer. The arrests came at a Thornton’s gas station at 7102 Charlotte Pike, police said.
Vehicle Crimes detectives arrested 20-year-old Laquarius Bumphus and 25-year-old Tearia Hatton, both of Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, on auto burglary-related charges.
How the arrests unfolded
Detectives had been working with surrounding jurisdictions on a rash of vehicle thefts and burglaries in West Nashville, Belle Meade, Brentwood and Murfreesboro. Murfreesboro Police Department detectives passed along information that helped Nashville detectives find Bumphus driving his 2012 Chevrolet Equinox in Nashville.
Bumphus stopped at the gas station and got out. Police said he ran when he saw officers approaching, but officers quickly caught him.
Hatton, a passenger, briefly climbed into the driver’s seat and tried to leave. She then obeyed commands to stop, according to police. Her 1-year-old son sat unsecured in the back of the vehicle and was not hurt.
Guns, key fobs and a stolen Challenger
A search of the Equinox turned up two handguns. Both carried stolen reports, one from Brentwood and the other from Murfreesboro. Detectives also found a key fob programmer and multiple vehicle keys.
Police identified several of the key fobs as coming from vehicle burglaries in Belle Meade and Lebanon. One fob activated a 2014 Dodge Challenger. Another county had received a theft report on the car, and police recovered it Tuesday in Nashville.
The case adds to a pattern of guns stolen from vehicles in Nashville that police have tracked this year.
Charges and bond
Bumphus faces charges of vehicle theft, two counts of theft of a firearm, three counts of felon in possession of a firearm, evading arrest, possession of key fobs with the intent to commit theft, and driving on a suspended license.
Police said Bumphus told detectives he had thrown one gun from a vehicle because it was “hot.” He has multiple felony convictions in Maury County for vehicle burglaries and property theft. He remains in jail on $100,000 bond.
Hatton is charged with child endangerment, attempted evading arrest, failing to properly restrain her son, and driving on a suspended license. She is free on $11,000 bond.
Police said the multi-jurisdictional investigation continues and they expect additional charges.
