NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – On July 8, a stolen truck rammed into a Greenbrier gun store, but it turns out the gun shop wasn’t the only business victimized by thieves.  

Buford Wade Blackwell said the stolen truck was taken off of his body shop’s lot roughly 15 miles away in Joelton. The suspects targeted him not once, but twice. 

“We got hit on Thursday night, and they broke in, stole some keys, stole a truck, broke in many other places. Then they [came] back Friday night to get a second vehicle, but we had it pinned in because they had stolen the keys to it,” said Blackwell, who owns Blackwell’s Paint and Body Shop. 

Blackwell realized which of his customers’ keys had been taken, then parked the dozens of cars on his lot in a way thieves couldn’t back out of. Although he was able to prevent additional vehicles from getting stolen, he’s still upset over the truck that was taken.  

“It’s aggravating, because you’re supposed to be in care of someone’s vehicle and you can’t stay 24 hours and protect it. But when they come in and rob you, it’s all on you. They tear up more than they actually steal, and then you’re responsible for the death and the damages,” Blackwell said.  

A week after the stolen truck rammed into the gun shop, officials said they found stolen weapons in a Lebanon hotel room. Four suspects were taken into custody, including one juvenile. Blackwell said he expects to get his customer’s truck back soon, but he doesn’t know what shape it’ll be in. 

“I don’t know to what extent the damage is to it. I know it’s hit in the front and the back, because they backed through one building [and] they pulled through one building. You know, it’s just the aggravation,” Blackwell said.  

Blackwell added he would like to see more of a police presence in the Joelton area.  

Metro Nashville Police Department offered the following statement from Kristin Mumford:  

“I have made the North Precinct community sergeant aware of the break-in. Officers do conduct business checks while also responding to calls for service. The community sergeant can also work with businesses in providing security tips to prevent break-ins.”

Anyone with information on these crimes is asked to call Lt. Buster Locklayer of the Greenbrier Police Department at 615-643-4467.