Nashville Police Department’s special initiative to combat vehicle theft and related crimes, begun on February 1, reached a milestone Wednesday as detectives made their 1,000th arrest.
Detectives located a stolen Dodge Ram 1500 TRX pickup truck in the area of Trinity Lane near Whites Creek Pike that had fled from officers last week. Detectives conducted surveillance and identified the driver as Corey Harding Jr., 28. A police helicopter followed Harding as he attempted to elude ground units who followed from a distance. Harding reached speeds of approximately 120 miles per hour and tossed a gun out of the window near the intersection of Old Hickory Boulevard and Sulpher Creek Road which was later recovered. He eventually pulled into a parking garage on Harding Pike where he fled on foot. Harding was taken into custody at a nearby women’s boutique where he was pretending to buy a dress.
Harding is charged with vehicle theft, felon in possession of a gun, two counts of evading arrest, reckless driving, and two counts of altering title, registration, plate, or permit. He is being held in lieu of $93,000 bond.
In 2023, Harding was convicted of felony evading arrest after he fled from officers in a stolen vehicle that he ultimately crashed, injuring his passenger.
Additionally, the special initiative has resulted in the recoveries of 532 stolen vehicles and 223 guns.
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Corey Harding Jr., 28