FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Police say a neighbor looked outside their home in the early morning hours of January 18th in the Lockwood Glen area, when they saw two men stealing a catalytic converter off their neighbor’s car.
Officers with the Franklin Police Department responded and found the suspect’s vehicle, subsequently chasing them southbound down I-65.
The car was ditched near the Williamson/Maury county line, and it was determined the car was stolen in a Chicago carjacking. The suspects were not found, according to Franklin Police.
At the same time, police noticed a third suspect trying to get out of the Carothers Parkway corridor where they crashed into another vehicle near Murfreesboro Road and Pate Road. The vehicle also had a stolen tag, per police.
The car was found abandoned, but the suspect was captured by police after a resident in a nearby neighborhood spotted him and alerted authorities.
Dannie Bonds, 34, of Rockford IL, is being charged in connection to a string of car thefts in the Franklin area, according to Franklin Police.
He is charged with felony evading, felony theft and providing false information to police.
Franklin Police say they are still looking for possibly four more suspects who were connected to the thefts in the area.
Franklin Police credit the initial caller who heard the saw being used to remove the catalytic converter, and the caller who spotted a suspect after getting the alert, with stopping these felons in their tracks.
Lt. Charlie Warner said, “Keeping Franklin safe is a shared responsibility, and engaged citizens are a vital component to the work that our officers do. We are so thankful for the two residents who quickly shared information that our police officers used to put a stop to this.”
