Man arrested after assault, robbery, arson at Nashville business

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A man was arrested early Wednesday morning after police say he assaulted a woman, stole her car and set a business on fire in Nashville, according to a Metro Nashville Police Department arrest affidavit.

Padrae Timotheus Gooch, 37, is charged with a slew of charges after the attack at a clothing store off Nolensville on May 29.

Officers and the Nashville Fire Department responded to S Fashion Clothing Store and found an employee suffering from facial bruising and blood coming out of one of her ears, according to the affidavit. The employee told police the store had been robbed and she had been assaulted by a man who had called for her assistance at the back of the store.

Gooch grabbed the woman’s throat, pushed her into a bathroom, grabbed her phone and then punched her in the left eye, knocking her unconscious, police said. The woman suffered a fractured skull in the attack, according to the affidavit.

Gooch was later seen leaving the store in the woman’s vehicle, police said, and fire investigators determined he likely started the fire that caught the building on fire. Merchandise was damaged in the fire.

Gooch was charged with especially aggravated robbery, aggravated arson, vehicle theft, and vandalism, among other unrelated charges.

He’s been held on more than a $250,000 bond.

Copyright 2024 WSMV. All rights reserved.