NASHVILLE, TENN. — Midtown Hills Precinct undercover officers today arrested convicted felon Dustin Stanton, 35, who had gone on a one man crime spree over the past few days involving two carjackings, three burglaries and the ramming of a police car. Stanton fired multiple shots during one of his crimes and tossed a gun today as he tried to run from officers on High Street.
Last Saturday morning, the owner of a Nolensville Pike muffler shop arrived at work to find the business had been burglarized. He recognized the burglar (Stanton) from surveillance footage as an acquaintance of a former employee, knew that the burglar frequented the area of Antioch Pike and Haywood Lane, and set out to find him. The muffler shop owner found Stanton at a carwash at 1672 Antioch Pike and attempted to block him in while he called police. Stanton attempted to flee in the stolen Acura MDX he was driving, but got stuck on a concrete barrier. Stanton then ran to a man who was drying off his Ford Focus and, at gunpoint, demanded that he drive him away. When the victim refused, Stanton fired a shot, got into the Ford and fled. In the process he fired two more shots at the victim.
Stanton crashed the Ford on Bell Road at Percy Priest Dam and carjacked a Honda Accord.
As officers tried to locate Stanton, they found him outside 4912 Shasta Drive talking to individuals inside a Nissan Juke. When police approached, Stanton got into the backseat of the Juke and pulled a gun on the occupants. They jumped out, prompting Stanton to get into the driver’s seat and try to flee. In the process he rammed a police car. The wrecked Juke was found a short time later in the woods at Paragon Mills Park.
Stanton fled through the woods and approached a home owner on Cathy Jo Circle. He pulled a gun, forced the homeowner into the residence, where Stanton stole a change of clothes and the keys to the victim’s Nissan Frontier.
Today, Midtown Hills Precinct undercover detectives, knowing that Stanton frequented High Street, set up surveillance and spotted him heading to one of two stolen vehicles nearby. Detectives moved in and Stanton ran, tossing a pistol into the grass. They won the foot chase and took Stanton into custody.
Stanton is a convicted burglar and car thief. He received a six-year prison sentence in July 2016.
