BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WKRN) — Authorities tracked down three suspects who are accused of breaking into homes in the Brentwood area.

The trio was arrested Friday in Chattanooga after a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper stopped the vehicle they were traveling in.

According to officials, the men are Chilean Nationals tied residential burglaries that occurred in Tennessee, Missouri and California.

The arrests come amid reports of foreign gangs in Middle Tennessee. Deborah Newitz said she was a victim of a similar crime earlier this year.

"Four men dressed in black and wearing face masks hopped the fence and ran across our property to the back of our home and smashed our bedroom window," she recalled.

Newitz spoke at a press conference called by Congressman Andy Ogles on Memorial Day as he invited residents to speak on their encounters with suspected foreign gang members.

"After nine minutes of using crow bars and striking and kicking doors and glass panels, they eventually gained access to our home," she added.

Although Newitz wasn't at home when the break-in happened, she said her teenage daughter was.

During the press conference, she said the men that broke into her home got away with things both expensive and sentimental.

"Among jewelry and cash, these men stole heirlooms and inexpensive, but irreplaceable, Mother's Day gifts that my children made for me," Newitz said.

The Brentwood Police Department advised residents to be on the lookout for the suspects last week after a burglary was reported in the Witherspoon neighborhood.

In the latest case, officials said the men stole Rolex watches, jewelry and had fake Peruvian IDs on them when they were arrested.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/recent-arrests-sheds-light-on-suspected-gang-activity-in-tennessee/