A suspect has been charged in connection with a Feb. 10 attack on a woman in the Terrace Place parking garage. He is also being questioned about incidents over the weekend in the East Garage and in two garages at Baptist Hospital.
Tyrone Batts, 25, was arrested Feb. 12 after being spotted walking near Centennial Medical Center at about 8:30 a.m. Property from the four women attacked over the weekend, including cell phones, was recovered.
Batts was held by Centennial Medical Center security officers until being turned over to Nashville police.
“We are thankful for the good work by the Metro Nashville Police Department in bringing this case to a speedy resolution – and to Centennial Medical Center security, who identified the suspect and took him into custody,” said Beth Fortune, vice chancellor for public affairs at Vanderbilt.
In the Vanderbilt incidents, one woman reported being sexually assaulted in Terrace Place Garage at about 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, and another said she was pushed to the ground Feb. 12 inside the East Garage on 21st Avenue South. The Baptist Hospital garage attacks happened early Feb. 12.
At the time of the incidents, Batts was free on $50,000 bond for aggravated robbery and being a felon in possession of a weapon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. He has previous convictions for drug offenses and indecent exposure.
Batts has confessed to his involvement in the sexual assault at the Terrace Place Garage, said Heather Baltz, a sex crimes detective with Nashville police. Charges in that case are two counts of rape, attempted rape and robbery.
Investigation of all the weekend incidents continues, said Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson.
“It is clear that Batts posed a significant and continuing danger to our community,” Anderson said. “The heightened state of alert by hospital security personnel combined with the excellent work of our sex crimes unit has … made Nashville a safer place.”