What started as a routine traffic stop on a dark Memphis roadway turned into a 120-mph police chase, a violent crash and a passenger telling troopers she was too scared to get out of the car. Now, a Memphis man is wanted on multiple felony warrants, including an aggravated kidnapping charge, according to court documents and local reporting.
Troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol first spotted the car on Oct. 23 on Raleigh Lagrange Road with its headlights off. When they tried to pull the driver over, he hit the gas instead, ran several red lights and took off in what authorities later learned was a stolen vehicle, according to FOX13 Memphis.
Passenger told troopers she feared for her life
When the dust settled, troopers found a woman in the front passenger seat. She told investigators the driver would not let her get out of the car during the chase and that she genuinely feared for her life, court documents state. That account, along with the stolen status of the vehicle, is laid out in the affidavit and described in local coverage, according to Action News 5.
Crash, gun recovery and suspect flight
Investigators say the driver pushed the car to about 120 mph in a 40 mph zone before losing control and crashing on Appling Road. At the scene, troopers recovered a handgun from under the driver’s seat. The man behind the wheel bolted into a nearby wooded area and disappeared before troopers could catch him, FOX13 Memphis reports. Traffic in the area briefly backed up while authorities worked the crash site.
Charges and legal exposure
Authorities have now issued warrants for the suspected driver, identified in court paperwork as Cameron Jones. He is wanted on charges of aggravated kidnapping, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and theft of property, according to Action News 5. Under Tennessee law, aggravated kidnapping is a Class B felony (see Tennessee Code § 39-13-304), and unlawful possession or use of a firearm by a convicted felon is addressed in the state’s weapons statutes (Tennessee Code § 39-17-1307).
Investigators say Jones remains at large, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol is asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact local authorities. Court records list the case as active with warrants on file. If Jones is arrested and formally charged, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office is expected to handle the prosecution.
