Black and silver blades whipped though the air, creating a crescendo as the sleek blue helicopter’s two-man crew prepared for take off in North Nashville.
South of the city, Metro police auto theft detectives using GPS coordinates to track a stolen 2006 Dodge Durango learned its driver — 16-year-old Zachary Tennant — was wanted for allegedly shooting the daughter of a Middle Tennessee police chief during a November carjacking outside her home.
Minutes later, a chopper from the Metro Nashville Police Department’s aviation unit was above the pewter Durango. Though traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph along Interstate 24, the vehicle’s speed was no match for the blue bird.
As the helicopter circled overhead the Durango and its pilot directed squad cars to the SUV’s location, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle along Blue Hole Road and ran into a wooded area.
The pilot’s tight aerial circles around the suspect below pointed ground units directly to their target. Minutes later, the teen was in police custody.
“He had nowhere to hide,” said Officer Wayne Helm, the copilot in the helicopter that morning who sat beside pilot Lt. Mikey Yentes. “It felt good to get that kid and his apprehension is a good reason why we have this unit.”
The men are two of the aviation unit’s six pilots who will respond to nearly 2,000 calls for service this year and work for one of just four agencies with police helicopters in the state. Police departments in Knoxville and Memphis have them as well as the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Williamson County is also working to get one as well. (continue reading)