A routine traffic stop in Mt. Juliet escalated into a high-stakes chase on Friday afternoon, culminating in the arrest of a man wanted on multiple charges in Memphis. The Mt. Juliet Police Department, utilizing the keen senses of K-9 Citron, managed to capture the 27-year-old suspect following a foot pursuit.
The incident began when a license plate violation prompted Mt. Juliet officers to stop a vehicle on East Division Street near Mt. Juliet Road. According to Mt. Juliet Police, the situation rapidly turned precarious when the man, smelling strongly of marijuana, bolted from his car after being requested to exit the vehicle. The chase concluded with the man's detention on Industrial Drive, a development accounted for in a social media update from the police department.
This afternoon, a traffic stop on E. Division St near Mt. Juliet Rd for a license plate violation led to a foot pursuit and apprehension of a convicted felon, wanted Memphis man. The 27-year-old male took off running after an officer asked him to step out of the car due to the… pic.twitter.com/oRTJOUgP5s
— Mt. Juliet Police (@MtJulietPolice) September 6, 2024
Law enforcement successfully recovered a handgun and the suspect's driver's license dropped along his attempted escape route, with "K9 Citron sniffed the suspect’s run path and found a handgun and drivers license the suspect ditched," as detailed on the department's online post. WKRN identified the man as a convicted felon who was wanted out of Shelby County for a probation violation and failing to appear in court.
The apprehension was aided by K-9 Citron, who has been instrumental in locating evidence associated with the felony suspect. Following the arrest, the man, yet unnamed in reports, was booked into the Wilson County Jail. The link between the strong marijuana odor and the legal necessity for the man to exit the car was not elaborated upon in the reports from local news channel FOX 17 or, on the police's statement.
