Specialized Investigations Division (SID) detectives tonight arrested a 19-year-old Alabama man, an alleged member of a white supremacist group, for coming to Nashville and spray painting swastikas and hate messages on five Sylvan Park area homes in the early morning hours of March 19, 2023.
The 19-year-old was identified by name at the end of 2023 and Juvenile Court arrest orders were obtained (he was age 17 when the vandalism occurred). SID detectives received information this week that the 19-year-old was likely to be at a concert event in the Madison area tonight. He was spotted and taken into custody without incident. He is being charged tonight with five counts of vandalism, five counts of engaging in a criminal conspiracy, five counts of criminal trespassing, five counts of civil rights intimidation, and one count of theft.
The vandalism occurred at homes on Westlawn Drive, and Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho Avenues. In surveillance video from one of the homes released by the MNPD on March 19, 2023, two masked men can be seen approaching the porch. One of the individuals quickly sprayed paint over the camera lens. They then spray painted hate messages on the property and stole a Colombian flag. Chief John Drake immediately ordered an enhanced police presence in the Sylvan Park area in response to the hate message vandalism.