WATCH: Brazen Crash-and-Dash at Guns and Leather Caught on Camera
GREENBRIER, TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) – Security video obtained by Smokey Barn News shows the moment suspects used a stolen vehicle to ram through the front of Guns and Leather in Greenbrier during a pre-dawn burglary on May 29. The car used to breach the storefront was clearly still drivable, and investigators say the suspects may have escaped with significantly more firearms if not for the quick response of an alert Greenbrier officer who spotted the burglary in progress. The suspects fled the scene in a second stolen vehicle with only a limited number of firearms. The investigation remains active.
BACK STORY: According to Detective Joseph Chelini with the Greenbrier Police Department, the burglary prompted a multi-agency law enforcement response, the first call coming into 911 at 4:58 AM.
Two stolen Kia vehicles were used in the burglary. One served as a getaway car, while the other was used to crash into the front of the business, taking out the door and security barriers. The method closely mirrors a previous burglary at the same location in 2022.
According to Detective Chelini, an officer on patrol near Highway 41 and Candy Street observed what appeared to be a burglary in progress at Guns and Leather. Officers attempted to make contact and confronted two male individuals — one fled on foot behind the business, and the other fled in a vehicle toward Hygeia Road and Betts Road.
Greenbrier Police initiated a vehicle pursuit, which continued until the area of Greer Road and Dividing Ridge Road, where officers lost visual contact with the vehicle. A K9 unit was deployed to track the suspect who fled on foot. According to police, the K9 track intersected with the known path of the fleeing vehicle, leading investigators to believe that the two suspects reconnected and left the area together in the same vehicle. While there is a very small possibility that the individual who fled on foot remains in the area, police believe it is unlikely.
The suspect vehicle, a dark-colored Kia Soul with no license plate, was later recovered abandoned in South Nashville and has been turned over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for forensic analysis.
The vehicle used to back into the storefront during the burglary — a gray Kia Soul — remains at the scene as evidence. According to police, both vehicles involved in the burglary were confirmed stolen from a dealership in Nashville off Nolensville Pike.
Police estimate that approximately four to six firearms were taken during the burglary. A more accurate count will be determined after an inventory is completed.
Greenbrier Police are leading the investigation, with support from the ATF, TBI, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Metro Nashville Police, who deployed a helicopter during the search.
Anyone with information regarding this burglary is urged to contact Detective Joseph Chelini at 615-913-0072.
The suspects remain at large, and the investigation is active.
Back in 2022, Guns and Leather was also burglarized when a vehicle crashed through the front window. You can read our full report here–>. REPORT
Ultimately, it was the keen, alert eye of a Greenbrier Police officer that brought the burglary to a stop this morning. Otherwise, the suspects could have easily filled one vehicle — and possibly the other, if it was still drivable — and gotten away with a large number of weapons. Although the exact number of firearms taken is still unknown pending inventory, it’s clear the loss could have been far greater.
As for the repeated use of this type of burglary method, it appears Guns and Leather may need to consider installing a metal or concrete barrier in front of the business to help prevent this kind of burglary from occurring again.
