NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – More than a year after swastikas and messages of hate were spray-painted on five homes in Nashville’s Sylvan Park area, police announced that a young Alabama man – an alleged member of a white supremacist group – has been arrested.
According to Metro Nashville Police, the vandalism occurred at homes on Westlawn Drive and Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho Avenues during the early morning hours of March 19, 2023.
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Officials said surveillance video from one of the homes showed two masked men approaching the porch before one of them quickly sprayed paint over the camera lens. The pair then allegedly spray-painted hate messages on the property and stole a Colombian flag.
In response to the hate messages, Police Chief John Drake immediately ordered an increased law enforcement presence in the Sylvan Park area.
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Authorities said they identified the 19-year-old — who was 17 when the vandalism occurred — in late 2023 and obtained arrest warrants from juvenile court.
Earlier this week, Specialized Investigations Division detectives learned that the 19-year-old was likely to attend a concert event in the Madison area on Sunday, May 26, according to police. The teen was spotted without incident and taken into custody.
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The 19-year-old – whose identity has yet to be shared – is charged with five counts of vandalism, five counts of engaging in a criminal conspiracy, five counts of criminal trespass, five counts of civil rights harassment and one count of theft.
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