NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Employees at Dirty Car Carwash located on Bell Road are feeling grateful no one was severely hurt after a shooting broke out last week.
Police said the suspect Ladon Ervin, 41, is a convicted felon with multiple arrests this year. This marks his third arrest in 2024.
Workers at the car wash are still processing the incident from last Friday.
“We’re a full-service car wash. We do interior and exterior,” one manager said.
Surveillance footage reviewed by detectives showed Ervin confronting another man in the car wash parking lot. The two exchanged gunfire after a brief physical altercation.
According to police, Ervin exited his Jeep Grand Cherokee, punched the second man and then fired a handgun into the ground. The other man responded by pulling out his own weapon, and both fired shots before fleeing in their vehicles.
An innocent bystander — walking near Extreme Cuts Barber Shop on the sidewalk about a quarter-mile away — was struck in the ear by shrapnel.
“I just heard something about, like, ‘You got what you owe me?’ and ‘You got what I need?’” one manager recounted. “Then they started fist-fighting, and five seconds later, they were shooting.”
Ervin drove himself to Southern Hills Medical Center with a non-life threatening gunshot wound, according to police. Police recovered a handgun and ammunition from his vehicle. Upon his release from the hospital, he was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and felon in possession of a weapon.
On Wednesday, he was being held in lieu of a $190,000 bond.
Despite the shootout, Dirty Car Carwash employees are determined to move forward.
“We know where we’re at, but we still have to continue with our business. We have to live and make a living,” the manager said.
The manager emphasized the violence had no connection to the business.
“It had nothing to do with the car wash. They kept it between them, but it happened here,” she said.
She worried the shooting might hurt their customer base but expressed gratitude for the community’s support.
“There were customers that drove up and asked how we were,” she said.
As the business gears up for a grand opening event, the manager remains optimistic.
“I see this place has potential, and I want it to succeed,” she said. “Customers are loyal, so I really appreciate that.”
Police say Ervin was arrested in July and charged with aggravated assault for an April altercation at TNT’s Billiards Bar & Grill on Bell Road after security refused him access due to him not having ID. He was free on $50,000 bond in that incident, and prior to this arrest, he was free on $14,000 bond from a February arrest for DUI and felon in possession of a weapon.
Ervin is a registered ex-convict for weapons and drug offenses.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
Journalism is at its best when we can shine a light on an issue that needs more attention. Once again, Hannah McDonald does this beautifully by highlighting the hardships of teens aging out of the foster care system. I learned something new in her reporting and am inspired by the work I AM NEXT is doing to make a difference. I think you will be too!
-Carrie Sharp
