A 17-year-old on probation faces multiple charges after allegedly firing a rifle at a Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) helicopter on Friday night. The incident unfolded following a gun store burglary in Dickson, Tennessee, earlier in the week, during which several firearms were stolen.
According to MNPD, the suspect, identified as Nelson Garcia-Arevalo, was driving a stolen Hyundai Elantra when he discharged a rifle at the helicopter. The vehicle had been reported stolen in Madison shortly before the burglary. Undercover detectives tracked Garcia-Arevalo’s movements for over an hour, employing spike strips to disable the vehicle as it exited an apartment complex on Edmonson Pike. Despite the deflated tires, Garcia-Arevalo continued driving for approximately five more minutes before he and two 15-year-old passengers fled on foot into a nearby neighborhood, where they were apprehended.
Police recovered the four firearms stolen from the Dickson gun store, along with additional weapons found in a wooded area near the apartment complex. Garcia-Arevalo, previously convicted of felony aggravated assault and sentenced to three years of probation, was arrested again. As he is adjudicated as an adult, the new charges—including vehicle theft and felony evading arrest—will be processed in adult court. The two 15-year-old passengers face charges in juvenile court for vehicle theft, unlawful gun possession, and evading arrest.
The investigation involved collaboration between MNPD’s Violent Crimes Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Dickson Police Department detectives. The Dickson Police Department is expected to file charges related to the gun store burglary and theft.