NASHVILLE, TN - If you visited the Nashville Nightmare Haunted House this past week and returned to find your vehicle broken into, Metro Nashville Police may have already caught the suspects responsible — thanks to a police helicopter that just happened to be flying overhead.
Late Thursday night, a Metro Police aviation crew was patrolling above Madison when officers spotted several people allegedly breaking into parked cars in the haunted house lot. According to police, the suspects were seen shattering windows and climbing into vehicles to grab valuables before fleeing in a sedan.
Rather than attempting to outrun patrol cars, the group unknowingly led officers on a slow-moving chase — from the air.
The helicopter followed the suspects’ vehicle for roughly 15 minutes, tracking it through Madison before it stopped at a strip mall on Brick Church Pike. At that point, undercover detectives moved in and apprehended all four occupants after a brief foot chase.
Inside the vehicle, officers recovered a stolen pistol and items believed to have been taken during multiple break-ins involving vehicles at Nashville Nightmare, East Nashville, and Midtown.
Police confirmed one of the four arrested is an adult:
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Carlos E. Lancaster, 19, of Greggwood Drive, was charged with 15 counts of auto burglary, 13 counts of vandalism, gun theft, and contributing to the delinquency of minors. His bond is set at $98,000, and he remained in custody as of Monday afternoon.
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The three others — two 16-year-olds and one 17-year-old — were charged in Juvenile Court with 15 counts of auto burglary and 13 counts of vandalism each.
Police have not yet determined how many total victims are connected to the case, meaning more car owners may still come forward after discovering the damage.
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