A 28-year-old driver turned a routine traffic stop into a late-night spectacle Tuesday, leading Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers on a high-speed chase along I-40 in Fayette County before bolting into the woods and getting hauled in about an hour later.
The pursuit wrapped up on I-40 west around 9:00 p.m., where the vehicle finally came to a stop, and the driver took off on foot into a nearby wooded area, according to troopers. A responding THP trooper suffered minor injuries during the incident and was treated at the scene.
According to FOX13 Memphis, which cited the Tennessee Highway Patrol, it all started when a trooper tried to pull over a speeding vehicle on State Route 59 near Wilder Road. Instead of stopping, the driver, identified by THP as 28-year-old Spencer Tykerris, allegedly kept going and led troopers onto I-40 west.
Along I-40, another trooper deployed a tire deflation device, which the vehicle ran over before rolling to a stop. Tykerris then fled on foot, prompting a broader search effort. K-9 units from multiple agencies were brought in, and officers eventually tracked him down in the wooded area. He was taken into custody and charged with speeding, a traffic control device violation, reckless driving and felony evading, FOX13 reported.
Search and capture
The foot chase sent officers combing through a wooded stretch of Fayette County while traffic on I-40 was temporarily disrupted so the scene could be secured. The search mirrored the kind of multi-agency response seen in another high-speed pursuit earlier this month, where K-9 teams again played a central role in corralling a fleeing suspect.
Local officials have noted that repeat incidents like these put extra strain on law enforcement resources and keep stoking concerns about how safe drivers really are on the region’s interstates.
Charges and next steps
Per FOX13 Memphis and the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s account, Tykerris’s list of charges takes the case well beyond a stack of routine traffic citations. Prosecutors and law enforcement officials are expected to review evidence from the chase and subsequent search to decide whether additional charges are warranted. Booking and bail information were not included in the initial report.
