Police: 5 suspects fired 30 rounds at Nashville cop, caught in Mt. Juliet after chase

Five suspects who investigators say shot more than 30 rounds at a Nashville police officer were arrested in Wilson County after a "high speed" pursuit that included a helicopter late Monday night.

The suspects were identified Tuesday as Eric O. Mario, 23, Ronny I. Edmonds, 19, Mahamed M. Muganga, 18, Abraham G. Mario, 19, and Omar A. Yussuf, 18, all of Nashville, according to police.

All of them are charged with multiple crimes that police say include aggravated assault on a first responder, using guns in the commission of a dangerous felony, auto theft, gun theft, felony marijuana possession, and evading arrest.

Nashville Detective Chris Lawson was shot at while conducting surveillance in the area of Howerton and North 6th streets as part of a policing mission, according to the department.

Lawson saw the men holding guns in a parking lot off North 6th Street and drove his undercover police car down Howerton Street to turn around and get a better view, police said.  As he did, the men began walking toward him, split sides of the street, and began firing as Lawson took action to get out of the line of fire, according to police.

The detective alerted other units about the suspects, who police said fled the scene in a stolen Infiniti.

The pursuit included the helicopter and continued from Interstate 40 into Wilson County, Nashville police said.

Mt. Juliet police were notified around 11 p.m. of police pursuit with armed suspects, according to that department.

The helicopter relayed the car's location throughout the pursuit, "which allowed our officers to get into a position to successfully deploy spikes to stop the vehicle," Mt. Juliet Deputy Chief Tyler Chandler said.

Mt. Juliet police deployed the strips from Interstate 40 to Golden Bear Gateway, the department reported.

After the vehicle was disabled, the suspects ran into some nearby woods on Golden Bear Gateway at Volunteer Boulevard, and a perimeter was established until all suspects were taken into custody, according to police.

It's uncertain what led up to the shooting in Nashville.

Six guns were recovered after the chase, including two that had been modified be fully automatic weapons, Nashville police said.

Lawson's surveillance in the area was part of the TITANS (The Investigative Team Addressing Neighborhood Shootings) Unit’s precision policing mission, according to the department.

Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Lawson was "extremely fortunate not to have been shot," while on duty.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Police: 5 suspects fired 30 rounds at Nashville cop, caught in Mt. Juliet after chase