Mt. Juliet police arrest teen wanted for violent crimes out of Rutherford County

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Mt. Juliet Police Department (MJPD) announced the arrest of a teen wanted for violent crimes out of Rutherford County Monday night.

Santos Velasquez, 18, of Nashville was apprehended following what MJPD called “a dangerous incident” that started with an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 40. At roughly 5 p.m., Velasquez sideswiped a truck and trailer, causing his vehicle to crash into the grass median near mile marker 227.

As officers responded to the crash, Velasquez reportedly threatened a bystander with a knife as he ran through a parking lot on Belinda Parkway. Officers were ultimately able to apprehend Velasquez after a foot chase. They added that a 16-year-old Gallatin passenger was found unharmed inside the crashed vehicle and that she cooperated with officers.

Velasquez was reportedly out on bond for serial burglary and evading arrest in Nashville. Velasquez was wanted out of Rutherford County for offenses including aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated stalking and aggravated domestic assault.

Velasquez faces additional charges, includeing:

• Felony evading
• Misdemeanor evading
• Reckless endangerment
• Reckless driving
• Child endangerment
• Contributing to the delinquency of a child
• Leaving the scene of a crash
• Aggravated assault
• Driving on a revoked driver’s license

“The Department is thankful that no one was seriously injured during this incident and commends the swift and coordinated efforts of our officers, emergency communication dispatchers, and witnesses in bringing this dangerous individual into custody,” a press release from MJPD added.

News 2 previously reported that Velasquez was arrested in December 2023 for multiple Nashville burglaries. According to arresting documents, during one of those burglaries, Velasquez kicked out the glass of a tool display case and took more than $30,000 worth of equipment.

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