BELLE MEADE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A GPS dart fired from a police car in Belle Meade allowed officers to track down a stolen vehicle and apprehend a teenage suspect without a high-speed chase.
Shortly after 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, February 13, a Hyundai stolen from Nashville reportedly drove past a license plate recognition camera (LPR) at Nichol Lane and West Tyne.
Members of the Belle Meade Police Department said they got behind the 16-year-old driver, but before they could turn on their blue lights, the teen began speeding.
Then the officers activate their new crime-fighting tool: a GPS arrow controlled by a laser on the front of the patrol car. The arrow stuck to the stolen vehicle and immediately began sending a signal to law enforcement, allowing them to track the car in real time.
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“As far as I know, he never found out,” Lt. Mack Mangrum by Belle Meade.
According to authorities, the teen ran when he saw her and even ran a stop sign recklessly. Instead of pursuing him, Belle Meade officers retreated.
Using a laptop, police observed the vehicle in real time. They knew exactly where the car was and how fast it was going.
According to the tracker, the teen accelerated up to 81 miles per hour to elude police, but when officers failed to pursue him, the vehicle slowed to a much safer speed.
“If he's not driving at a high rate of speed, he's not endangering the public as much as if we were behind him and he was running away from us,” Mangrum explained.
During this time, Belle Meade Police called Metro Nashville Police to have ground and air units join the search for the stolen car.
A convicted felon was arrested after he was discovered in a carjacked vehicle, according to Metro Police
The teen was eventually tracked to an apartment complex in West Nashville, where officers laid out spike strips in case the suspect tried to escape. However, the teen was reportedly surprised and taken into custody without incident.
“It's excellent. I've never seen anything like this and when you can do that and keep up with them in real time, you can see that technology has come a long way in law enforcement,” Mangrum told News 2.
The new GPS dart tracking system costs $73,500. This was made possible through a scholarship.
According to Metro Police, the 16-year-old suspect told officers that the marijuana found in the stolen vehicle was already in the car when he took it. He reportedly gave investigators the same answer when asked about the dismantled steering column in the stolen Hyundai.
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