A South Broadway-area security guard shot and injured a teen early Saturday while responding to alleged car break-ins, Metro Nashville police say.

A security guard confronted three people, including a 15-year-old, in a parking lot on 3rd Ave. South and Elm Street around 3:30 a.m. The trio got into a blue Hyundai and drove toward the security guard, striking him, according to Metro Nashville Police Department’s preliminary investigation.

The guard, on the hood of the car, fired at the unidentified 15-year-old driver near 4th Ave. and Elm Street, police say.

The three suspects fled, and officers later rendered aid to the injured 15-year-old after finding the teen in a nearby alley. The teen’s injuries are “survivable,” police say.

The other two suspects, described by police as a Black male wearing a black hooded jacket, black mask and black backpack, and a Black female wearing an “odd hat” and a white garment around her neck, were not found.

The investigation is ongoing.

Police urged drivers to lock their vehicles, remove the keys and secure valuables — particularly guns — in a news release Friday. MNPD data shows 348 reported vehicle break-ins from Oct. 21 through Nov. 17, more than a third of which occurred on weekend days.