A man has been arrested after allegedly breaking into a Nashville home and holding an entire family at gunpoint.
Officials with Metro Nashville Police said Jeffrey McNew was arrested Monday morning.
The incident happened Sunday morning at a home on Neely's Bend Road when a family awoke to a man and woman holding them at gunpoint.
The homeowner Melissa Carlton told NewsChannel 5 that the home was locked and the alarms were on.
Police said the suspect entered the home through a kitchen window.
She remembered thinking it was her son who walked through the bedroom door but quickly realized it was a dangerous person instead.
"The next thing I knew there is a guy coming through the door with a gun and a mask telling us not to move and no one will get hurt. All we could think is how we could keep these people from killing us," recalled Carlton.
Her 14-year-old son and his best friend, who was there for a sleep over, were forced to join the parents, according to McNew's affidavit.
Carlton remembered the suspects demanding for the money and a safe, and rummaging through their belongings.
The two are accused of forcing Carlton's husband to get into his truck and drive to an ATM to withdraw hundreds of dollars in cash.
"I thought 'My God I may never see my husband again and we've been together for 18 plus years so I don't want to live my life without him'. Kids don't need to have a memory of the gun shoved in their face when they're supposed to be safe in their home," said Carlton.
A police spokesperson told NewsChannel 5 that the suspects dropped the husband to the house and stole their black Ford Focus.
The Focus was eventually ditched for a gold 1997 Buick Century getaway car a few hours later. For unknown reasons, the car crashed which would eventually get the suspected robbers caught.
NewsChannel 5 has learned that McNew has been living in a rental home directly across the street from the Carlton's.
Mrs. Carlton said that they had ordered surveillance cameras to be installed after a gold car would pull into the driveway the past two weeks. Apparently someone would knock on their door in the middle of the night.
The experience left her and her family traumatized.
"Every sound in the house freaks us out and we think someone is breaking in. I don't know how any else would be," added Carlton. "It's going to be awhile before we feel safe sleeping in the house but we have to get past this because this is our home."
Police said they found the victims' belongings after the crash. Arnold was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for serious injuries. She's expected to be charged upon her release.
McNew has been arrested in the past for home burglaries. He was taken to TriStar Summit Medical Center following the crash.
McNew was booked into the Davidson County Jail facing charges of Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
He is expected to appear in court for a review hearing on Wednesday. None of them were injured during the home invasion.
