Man who protected women at Waffle House is now wanted for questioning, TN cops say

A mystery man who tried protecting two women during a carjacking is now being sought by police, after the suspected car thief ended up wounded, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reports.

The incident happened Friday, Sept. 23, in the parking lot of a Waffle House on West Trinity Lane in Nashville, police said in a news release.

Investigators are trying to identify the man who intervened so he can be questioned in the shooting. Police did not say if he might face charges.

“The investigation shows (the accused thief) jumped into the driver’s seat of a 2019 Nissan Sentra just after the female driver stepped out of the vehicle to retrieve her to-go order,” police said in the release.

“A startled female passenger in the car quickly bailed out and began yelling,” police said. “A man in a nearby blue BMW sedan saw what was occurring and ran to the Sentra. He tried to pull (the suspect) from the car and shot him during the struggle.”

The wounded man drove away in the Sentra, but crashed it more than 10 miles southeast of the restaurant on Interstate 40, police said.

He was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries, and later released into police custody. The suspect was arrested and faces a charge with robbery/carjacking, police said.

“The man who tried to intervene in the auto theft and who shot (the suspect) drove away in the BMW,” police said.

Photos show the man’s BMW was customized with what appears to be decorative pink lighting fixed to the undercarriage.

Investigators have not said if the man had been in the Waffle House prior to the shooting.

This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Man who protected women at Waffle House is now wanted for questioning, TN cops say."