Nashville’s ‘Top 10 Most Wanted’ fugitives: Week of Dec. 27
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — With less than a week until 2024, Nashville authorities are still trying to bring a number of suspects in various violent crimes that happened in 2023 — and some as far back as 2021 — into custody.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) maintains a list of its “Top 10 Most Wanted” fugitives, which is updated every Wednesday on the Criminal Warrants Division Facebook page.
According to police, the suspects on the list are often considered to be some of the “most violent” offenders in the city. Of the suspects on this week’s list, half are wanted on homicide or murder charges.
Over 70 of Nashville’s ‘Most Wanted’ fugitives arrested within one year
Investigators have been focusing their attention on the No. 1 “Most Wanted” suspect, who they said has been on the run since the police department obtained warrants charging him in connection with a deadly shooting that happened nearly a year ago.
Lagarrion Blacksmith, 34, is accused of shooting and killing 35-year-old Chancellor Eddins just outside of Trvth Lounge on Feb. 18. However, he has repeatedly appeared at the top of the “Most Wanted” list over the last few weeks as authorities continue to search for his whereabouts.
Several other suspects police are still trying to track down are wanted in connection with alleged murders or homicides that happened more than five months ago, with two reported on July 4 and one case dating back as far as August 2021.
The other half of Nashville’s “Most Wanted” suspects are wanted on charges such as rape by an authority figure, child endangerment, aggravated assault and burglary. One man has 40 outstanding warrants related to a string of alleged appliance thefts.
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While the search for these suspects continues, the “Most Wanted” list has aided police in several arrests. At least 80 people who have appeared on the list have been taken into custody since the program was first launched in October 2022.
According to authorities, tips from the public have been key in many cases, stacking up to a nearly 70% arrest rate among “Most Wanted” fugitives. Below is a list of the suspects who made the police department’s “Top 10 Most Wanted” list the week of Dec. 27.
1. Lagarrion L. Blacksmith
At number one, Lagarrion Blacksmith, 34, is considered this week’s “Top Most Wanted” fugitive, according to the MNPD. He was added to the list on Nov. 29 after police were reportedly able to connect him to a deadly shooting that took place outside a Dickerson Pike bar earlier this year.
Officers said they found 35-year-old Chancellor Eddins lying on the ground just outside of Trvth Lounge on Feb. 18. He had reportedly been shot and later died at the scene. Another man who had also been hit by the gunfire was able to give officers an account of what happened.
RELATED: Man wanted for homicide, other charges following fatal February shooting on Dickerson Pike
According to police, the injured man told them he and Eddins had gotten into an argument with the suspect inside of the bar. Then, shots were fired as they left the location. At the time, the identity of the alleged shooter was unclear.
Months later, investigators announced Blacksmith had been identified as a suspect. On Nov. 22, officials said arrest warrants had been issued against Blacksmith for criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and felon in possession of a handgun.
However, efforts to locate him have reportedly been unsuccessful. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
2. Raceme Crutcher
Police have been looking for Raceme Crutcher, 21, since July, when he was named as one of two suspects in a deadly Fourth of July shooting.
RELATED: Teen killed in shooting at East Nashville apartment complex
Officials said the shooting happened at the Fallbrook Apartments on Dellway Villa Road. Etabo Malanda, 16, was reportedly standing on the porch of an apartment when two armed individuals came from around the corner and confronted him.
Malanda allegedly tried to pull out a pistol that was inside his hoodie, but he was shot. Police said he died shortly after he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
According to investigators, four guns were recovered from the apartment, including one that was reported stolen. Crutcher and 17-year-old Jaylin Brown were reportedly connected to the crime through witness accounts.
SEE ALSO: Teen wanted in connection with deadly Fourth of July shooting arrested
Investigators also obtained surveillance footage and additional information from community members that they said pointed to Crutcher and Brown as suspects in the case. Officials believe the motive may have been an ongoing dispute between the suspects and Malanda.
Brown was taken into custody on Aug. 31 after police reportedly caught him driving a stolen car. However, authorities said Crutcher is still on the run. He was added to the “Most Wanted” list on Nov. 15. His last location is unknown.
3. Tyrone D. Walker
Tyrone Walker, 29, has repeatedly appeared on the list since July 12 after being named in a grand jury indictment charging him with first-degree murder.
Police said the charge is related to the August 2021 shooting death of Cecil Holmes Jr. The 39-year-old was reportedly found dead in the Edgehill Homes parking lot on 11th Avenue South after being shot multiple times.
RELATED: Police searching for suspect charged in 2021 Nashville apartments parking lot murder
Further investigation into Holmes’s death led to the identification of Walker as the suspected gunman, officials reported.
In addition to the murder charge, Walker has also been indicted on charges of felon in possession of a weapon, felony probation violation and four counts of failure to appear. Police said his last location is unknown.
4. De’Tynn Q. Smith
De’Tynn Smith, 20, has regularly appeared on the “Most Wanted” list since March 8.
He is believed to be the third and final suspect in the April 2022 murder of 39-year-old Tywane Miller. The incident happened in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven gas station near the intersection of Maxwell and Gallatin Avenues.
RELATED: Third suspect sought in deadly Nashville shooting from April 2022
Initial reports from police indicated that Miller was shot and killed by at least one person who got out of a white Ford Flex. Miller died at the scene and a passenger in his car suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
After the shooting, an officer reportedly saw the Flex on Shelby Avenue at I-24. The officer pursued the vehicle as it sped off, but eventually ended the pursuit because of the potential danger to other drivers.
The Flex then got onto I-40 and hit the center retaining wall and four other cars before coming to a stop on the interstate between Fesslers Lane and Elm Hill Pike.
SEE ALSO: Tywane Miller’s family continues hope for justice in his death
Three occupants, including one believed to be De’Tynn, then got out of the Flex and carjacked a 35-year-old Nashville man who was driving a 2013 Subaru Forester SUV, according to police. The Subaru was later found abandoned in a Bordeaux neighborhood.
On March 1, MNPD detectives arrested one of the suspects, Deshawn L. Smith, 31, on a first-degree murder and aggravated robbery indictment. Another suspect, Michael Clay, 31, was charged last September.
De’Tynn is wanted on a grand jury indictment charging him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and possession of a gun during the commission of a felony, according to the MNPD. His last location is unknown.
5. Kejuan Jordan-Cole
Kejuan Jordan-Cole, 21, is believed to be one of seven suspects involved in another deadly shooting on the Fourth of July, according to officials.
RELATED: Man dead after 7 people reportedly shot at him on Buena Vista Pike
Investigators said the victim, 27-year-old Christopher L. Harris, was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside his vehicle on Buena Vista Pike. Witnesses told police a group of young men approached Harris and around seven of them opened fire.
Harris was reportedly struck by the gunfire while standing next to his vehicle. Officers told News 2 as many as 100 rounds may have been fired during the incident.
The suspects — one of whom appeared to be shooting a rifle — left the scene in three separate vehicles, officials reported. Since the shooting, authorities have arrested and charged 16-year-old Jaden Wright, 17-year-old Erion Nesbitt, 16-year-old Kentrell Baugh and 23-year-old Deandre Jordan.
SEE ALSO: Metro police arrest 4th of 7 suspects from deadly July 4 shooting in Bordeaux
However, police said Jordan-Cole, who was identified as a suspect on Aug. 16, is still on the run. The charges against him include criminal homicide and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He was added to the list on Dec. 13. Officials said his last location is unknown.
6. Michael A. Yarlett
Michael Yarlett, 28, is wanted on three counts of aided and abetted rape, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. Court documents indicate he is one of two suspects in the incident, which happened more than a year ago in September.
Yarlett was added to the “Most Wanted” list on Nov. 22. His last location is unknown.
7. Terrance Boyd
Terrance Boyd, 43, is wanted on an outstanding warrant for statutory rape by an authority figure, according to officials. He was added to the list on Oct. 25. Police said his last location is unknown.
8. Elmer Vargas Catalan
Elmer Vargas Catalan, 21, is wanted on over three dozen outstanding warrants related to a string of appliance thefts that occurred at multiple recently constructed homes last month, according to police.
Following the crime spree, detectives said they recovered nearly 50 stolen appliances, including ovens and washers and dryers, at two separate locations. While four people believed to have been involved in the burglaries have now been arrested, Catalan is still at large.
RELATED: 3 arrested, 2 at large after 48 ovens, dryers stolen from Nashville homes
The charges against Catalan include 36 counts of burglary, two counts of aggravated burglary, theft of property greater than $10,000 but less than $60,000 and vandalism greater than $2,500 but less than $10,000.
He was added to the list on Dec. 6. According to investigators, Catalan was last seen in the Hermitage area.
9. Amber Fiddler
Amber Fiddler, 35, is wanted by the MNPD on outstanding warrants for two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment with a weapon and felon in possession of a weapon.
She first appeared on the “Most Wanted” list on Aug. 23. Her last location is unknown.
10. Taylor G. Lipert
Taylor Lipert, 25, is wanted on multiple outstanding warrants stemming from a Nov. 13 crash in which officers said Lipert was driving on the wrong side of Interstate 40 with her child in her car.
RELATED: Woman facing charges after wrong-way crash on I-40 in Hermitage
The crash happened just after 7 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-40 at mile marker 221 near exit 221A, which is the Hermitage exit. According to Metro police, Lipert was driving her Mitsubishi Eclipse west in the eastbound lanes for about one mile before she crashed into a van head-on.
The driver of the van, Lipert and her 3-year-old child all sustained injuries from the crash.
Detectives believe Lipert got onto the interstate from the 221A exit ramp, where multiple signs that read “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” are posted. Lipert reportedly told officers she is new to Nashville, does not know the area and is an inexperienced driver.
Police said she did not show any signs of impairment at the scene. The charges against her include aggravated child endangerment and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Officials said her last location is unknown.
CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee
Anyone with information on any of the suspects listed is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
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