Home invasion shocks Belle Meade, Forest Hills residents

Metro Police this afternoon have confirmed a story that has circulated among residents of two wealthy Nashville neighborhoods yesterday and today: A group of five young men burst into a home in the in the 4000 block of Harding Place on Sunday night, robbing and kidnapping three persons.

The event has residents in the area talking, including a string of emails partially detailing the event making the rounds in the community.

Police said between 9 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Sunday night five men entered a home in the 4000 block of Harding Place through an unlocked front door.

One suspect pointed a gun at the 48-year-old homeowner who encountered the men in his living room. The man thought the robbery was a joke and pushed the gun away, prompting the suspect to fire a shot into a piece of furniture.

The victims were robbed of computer equipment and money. The suspects then forced the homeowner his 19-year-old daughter, and her 19-year-old boyfriend into the homeowner’s Toyota Highlander SUV along with three of the suspects. The two other suspects followed them in a silver Buick Century. The Buick had been reported stolen from the Edgehill area, police said.

Police said eventually the victims were taken to two ATMs in the Green Hills area from where the suspects withdrew money.

The three victims were released unharmed in a residential area near Hillsboro High School and walked to a nearby home where they called police at 9:26 p.m

The Toyota Highlander has not been recovered. It is a silver 2006 model and bears Tennessee license plate number 453-SJN.

Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said it was unclear why the five men chose the Harding Place home, noting it was not a high crime area but an upscale section of the city.

“We don’t know why the five men went into this residence,” Aaron said. “This type of thing happening randomly is extremely rare. That may be what happened here.”

Aaron added the unlocked door might have contributed to the choice of the home and cautioned homeowners in the area to lock their doors and windows.

“The belief that you can keep doors and windows unlocked in Nashville or anywhere anymore is a misnomer,” Aaron said.

Aaron added the email was incorrect about the duration of the robbery and kidnapping, noting police reports show the entire incident lasted about 30 minutes.

The home invasion has been the topic of discussion and concern among residents in the Harding Place area today, including one widely circulated email thread.

"This event happened less than a mile from all of us," one Belle Meade resident wrote in the e-mail that was circulating yesterday and today. "It happened in a way that showed the men were not afraid to break in with people sitting n the living room."

The woman advised her neighbors: "We all have to watch out for each other."

West Precinct commanders as of yet have no reports of a similar home invasion taking place in the Forest Hills area Monday night, one statement made in the widely circulated email.

The five suspects are described as black males in their late teens. Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the West Precinct at 862-7747 or Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward.