Metro Nashville police wrapped up a targeted street racing crackdown Saturday night into early Sunday morning that ended with 12 people in handcuffs, including seven teenagers, after officers encountered fleeing vehicles, fireworks being launched from cars, weapons, and marijuana across South Nashville.
The operation, called the Street Racer Initiative, zeroed in on known groups that had been pulling off dangerous driving stunts and shooting fireworks from moving vehicles in the area. Detectives and patrol units worked through the night tracking activity in South Nashville hotspots where these groups had been known to congregate.
One of the earliest incidents involved a Ford Mustang spotted on Antioch Pike near Haystack Lane. The driver tried to run from officers twice before MNPD Aviation stepped in and helped ground the vehicle. The man behind the wheel, Michael Urena, 26, reportedly admitted to fleeing police. He now faces charges including inciting a riot, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, and contributing to the delinquency of minors. Urena is currently being held on a $45,000 bond.
A second incident unfolded in the early morning hours on Nolensville Pike, where a group of vehicles had been setting off fireworks before bolting at high speed when officers approached. That vehicle was eventually disabled near Zoo Road. The driver, 19-year-old Granados Zavala, and five passengers, four of them teenagers, were taken into custody at the scene.
Inside the vehicle, officers found three weapons including a BB gun, along with THC vapes and marijuana. Zavala faces a nearly identical set of charges to Urena, including inciting a riot, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She remains jailed on a $44,000 bond.
In total, the one-night operation resulted in 12 arrests as MNPD continues to push back against organized street racing activity that has increasingly drawn large crowds and created dangerous conditions for residents in South Nashville.