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Trio of 9th graders drove to school in a stolen car with two loaded guns, TN cops say

Three Whites Creek High School ninth graders face charges after the Nashville Police Department says they arrived to school on Aug. 25 in a stolen Honda CR-V.
Three Whites Creek High School ninth graders face charges after the Nashville Police Department says they arrived to school on Aug. 25 in a stolen Honda CR-V. Street View image from May 2019. © 2022 Google

Three ninth graders showed up for school in a stolen car, and matters worsened when a search revealed they were also traveling with loaded pistols, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department in middle Tennessee.

It happened Thursday, Aug. 25, at Whites Creek High School, northwest of Nashville, police said in a news release.

Investigators say suspicions were aroused when the three students showed up for school — and two stayed in the vehicle and fell asleep.

“A school resource officer was notified by school personnel that two students were asleep inside a blue Honda CR-V,” police said. “The officer checked the tags and found the vehicle to be stolen. The 14-year-old driver and a 15-year-old passenger were taken into custody.”

The officer then searched the Honda and found two loaded 38-caliber revolvers under the driver’s seat, officials said.

Investigators did not say who owned the weapons.

“The teen driver is charged in Juvenile Court with vehicle theft and unlawful gun possession,” police said. “His passenger and a third 14-year-old student who got out of the car and entered the school prior to police intervention, are both charged in Juvenile Court with joyriding.”

Whites Creek High School has a student population of 507 in grades nine through 12. Classes for the year began Aug. 8.

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This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Trio of 9th graders drove to school in a stolen car with two loaded guns, TN cops say."

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Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology. 
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