19-year-old arrested following I-40 incident
Oct. 16—A 19-year-old wanted out of Rutherford County was apprehended in Mt. Juliet Monday following an incident on Interstate 40.
Santos Velasquez was wanted on one count of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated domestic battery, two counts of aggravated stalking, one count of aggravated sexual battery and two counts of aggravated assault. Upon his arrest in Mt. Juliet, he now faces additional charges of misdemeanor evading, felony evading, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a crash, driving on a revoked driver's license, child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
According to the Mt. Juliet Police Department, Velasquez passed a Mt. Juliet Police Officer on Interstate 40 East near mile marker 224, traveling at a high rate of speed. Soon after, dispatch received reports of a crash near mile marker 227. The department stated that Velasquez had sideswiped a truck and trailer before he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the grass.
"While officers were responding to the crash, it was reported that Velasquez threatened a bystander with a knife as he ran away through a parking lot along Belinda Parkway," the department stated in a press release. "Mt. Juliet officers quickly responded, setting up a containment zone in the area. Velasquez was soon spotted running through the Meridian Apartments, where officers apprehended him after a foot chase."
Officers found a 16-year-old passenger from Gallatin in the vehicle. According to the Mt. Juliet Police Department, she was uninjured and cooperated with law enforcement.
The department stated that Velasquez was out on bond for serial burglary and evading arrest in Nashville.
Velasquez was previously arrested in connection to a series of burglaries in the Elm Hill Pike area of Nashville on Dec. 6, 2023, after stealing a Dodge Charger. He was charged for two September 2023 incidents at Jeffco Flooring, an October 2023 incident at M&A Supply and a November 2023 incident at Care Supply.
At the time, Velasquez was also charged with two counts of evading arrest, one count of resisting arrest and two counts of vehicle theft.
