A father said he went into protective mode to keep his 12-year-old son safe from a couple of gunmen in Antioch, Tennessee on Sunday night.
Dallas Johnson recalled hearing at least six gunshots fired at his vehicle as and he son drove away from an attempted robbery outside of his house. He was in his car getting ready to leave for the grocery store when he saw a black car slow down in front of his mailbox. He remembered seeing two people in dark clothing get out with guns. One of them pulled down his mask.
"I just put my hand over my son's head, swerved as if I was going to hit him and swerved around the car," Johnson told NewsChannel 5. "I attempted to somewhat deter the other guy from shooting his gun and then just drove off in zigzags."
No one was hit during the shooting. However, Metro police said three armed robberies would soon follow in the Antioch area in less than 30 minutes. The robberies could potentially be connected .
Just three minutes after the attempted robbery, a group of people armed with long guns pulled up to the 4600 block of Packard Drive and took someone's belongings. Another three minutes later, the men somehow struck again on Kevinwood Court. Another person was robbed at gunpoint.
A fourth robbery happened around the same time at the Saxony Apartments. In that case, only two men were seen, and they were in a red car.
"If they haven't got caught, I hope they change their lives strictly. I don't want nothing bad to happen to them, but I also don't want nothing bad to anyone on the streets either," Johnson said.
Johnson wished the situation turned out to differently. He believed he would have been able to talk and stop them from committing crimes. Instead, he hopes the incident will serve as a painful lesson for his young son.
"I always back my cars in and I always tell him not to be on his phone too much because you always have to be aware of your surroundings. No matter if you're in a rich or poor neighborhood, it doesn't matter," Johnson said.
Three of the four incidents appeared to have the same crooks. They were all wearing dark clothing with guns and got away in a black 4-door Honda.
Metro police said there were three other armed robberies with similar details in Hermitage that same evening. Whether they are connected is still under investigation.
In total, there have been 430 street robberies in the south precinct area this year. The number last year was 456.
This article was written by Matthew Torres for WTVF .
