An East Nashville man has been praised for stopping a man who was allegedly breaking into several vehicles.
Trevor Silva said he was outside on the porch with his wife and neighbors early Friday night when one of them spotted the suspect pulling on several car handles on South 9th Street.
"It was just blatant," Trevor's wife Jennifer Silva said. "There were five adults watching and kids playing around, but that didn't phase him."
"He tried to break into several vehicles and got inside one," Trevor recalled. "It was our neighbor's younger brother, and he just moved to Nashville two weeks ago."
Officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department said 18-year-old Joshua Taylor stole the victim's check book, FitBit watch, two Otterbox phone cases, a pocket knife, and an iPod.
When the suspect refused to stop, Trevor grabbed his flip flops and sprinted after Taylor down South 9th Street. Trevor tackled down the young suspect and held him on Shelby Avenue until police arrived.
"I was like, 'Was that wise to do?'" Trevor questioned to himself. "It never crossed my mind that he may have had a weapon, but he was messing with my neighbors and they're family."
Taylor did not have a weapon on him and was taken into custody without incident. Trevor realized what he did could have been dangerous but said he stayed cautious and observant.
Jennifer posted a picture of the suspect on an East Nashville neighborhood watch group following the incident. Many have called Trevor brave and thanked him for keeping the neighborhood safe.
"You don't mess with South 9th Street, we're willing to stand up and watch each other's backs," Trevor said.
According to his affidavit, Taylor was wanted for allegedly stealing a car in the 700 block of South 7th Street in late June as the victim was picking up his kids from a community center.
Police knew it was Taylor when his mother reported to police she witnessed him break into the vehicle.
As of Sunday night, he was in Metro Jail charged with two counts of theft of property and public intoxication.
The Silva's said the incident was a great reminder for people to stay aware of their surroundings especially with the Fourth of July weekend.
