32 teens escape Tennessee detention center, 17 still loose

More than 30 teenagers escaped from a Nashville detention center on Monday night, with 17 still on the loose.

The 32 teens were able to slip out of the Woodland Hills Youth Development Center by crawling under a weak area in the fence. While many of the teens, who are between 14 and 19 years old, were caught rather quickly, 17 others have so far managed to avoid recapture, The Associated Press reports.

The 32 teens, of the 78 kept at the detention center, made their escape attempt during a shift change just an hour before Tuesday morning.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol and local police have been searching for the escaped teenagers, with Tennessee Department of Children's Services spokesman Rob Johnson noting that each of the teens on the loose have committed three felonies.

Johnson has said that it isn't yet known whether the teens planned their escape, or it was simply a spontaneous attempt, notes The Tennessean.

The same detention center had about seven teens escape from their rooms and out into the courtyard earlier this summer, but staff managed to convince them to peacefully return.