MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — A homeowner exchanged gunfire with two people attempting to burglarize a neighbor's vehicle on Sunday morning. No one was injured, but the incident has inspired local police to remind citizens not to engage with criminals.
“We urge residents to use caution and never approach or engage with criminals,” said Criminal Investigations Division Crimes Against Persons Sergeant-Detective James Abbott. “You don’t want to take a chance of being shot or killed.”
In another incident on April 8, a homeowner noticed his car had been rummaged through when he got home around 3 a.m. He confronted a man running across the street from his home, and the stranger fired two shots at his house. Luckily, the homeowner was not injured.
“Property can be replaced; lives can’t,” Abbott said. “The best advice for residents is, if you see or hear anything suspicious, or see someone breaking into your car, call police immediately.”
Since March 1, more than 100 car burglaries took place in Murfreesboro neighborhoods. All the cars were unlocked, and 16 firearms were stolen overall.
There have also been several vehicle thefts in the city. According to detectives, the doors to all the stolen vehicles were unlocked, with the key fob left inside.
Murfreesboro Police Department is looking into the burglaries, patrolling the areas of the highest concentration of incidents, as well as developing a list of several persons of interest.
“The best deterrent is to lock your car doors, remove valuables and firearms,” Massey said. “The burglars are by-passing locked cars and moving on to ones that are unlocked.”
Anyone with information about car burglars is asked to call Murfreesboro police at 615-893-2717. You can also give tips anonymously through the P3 Intel Mobile App or by calling Crime Stoppers at 615-893-STOP (7867).
