Car burglar Luna lassoed

Edward Luna

The Gang Unit’s 10 p.m. Saturday stop of a speeding pickup truck on Briley Parkway near Centennial Boulevard led to the apprehension of accused serial car burglar and fugitive Edward L. Luna, who was a passenger in the vehicle. 
          
Luna, 22, was being sought on warrants charging him with breaking into three automobiles, one of them a police car, and is also a suspect in the burglaries of other law enforcement vehicles in the Nashville area early last week.  Luna, who was not carrying any identification last night, was asked his name at the scene of the traffic stop.  His reply to the officer:  “You know me, I’m all over the news.  I’m the one who broke into all the police cars and stole the guns.”  Later, after arriving at the West Precinct, Luna refused to be interviewed by detectives.
          
Found under tires in the back of the pickup truck was a green bag containing two semi-automatic pistols, more than 100 rounds of ammunition and magazines for the guns.  One of the guns was confirmed as being stolen from the SUV of a private citizen in South Nashville on July 21st, resulting in Luna also being charged with felony theft and unlawful gun possession.  Luna is spending his Sunday in the Metro Jail in lieu of $91,000 bond.  He remains under investigation.
          
Also in the pickup truck was 17-year-old Austin Dodd, an escapee from state custody who was believed by detectives to be accompanying Luna.  Dodd was taken to juvenile detention and booked on the escape charge.  Dodd denied involvement in the vehicle burglaries.

Take my car, please

   A review of stolen vehicle reports in Nashville from Sunday, May 6, through Saturday, May 12, shows that 24 percent of the automobiles taken (six of 25) were easy targets because the keys were left inside or made available to thieves.

   The police department’s continuing PARK SMART campaign strongly urges citizens to lock their automobile doors, secure any valuables and REMOVE THE KEYS.

   Officers also urge citizens to SHOP SMART by not leaving purses or other valuables unattended in shopping carts, even for a very short time. An unattended purse is an easy target for a thief.

   For info  about these and other programs of the Nashville Police Department, visit http://www.police.nashville.gov/index.asp.