A late-night traffic stop on Murfreesboro Pike turned into a high-speed mess on I-40 when, police say, a 22-year-old Smyrna man gunned his engine, nearly clipped officers, and then crashed into the interstate median at close to 80 miles per hour. The driver allegedly bolted into oncoming traffic after the wreck, leaving two passengers in the car as authorities moved in. Officers recovered marijuana at the scene, and the driver is now sitting in jail on a $47,000 bond.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, South Precinct officers first stopped an Infiniti on Murfreesboro Pike at Expressway Park Drive after spotting a traffic infraction and smelling marijuana. Police say they asked the driver, identified as 22-year-old Jabbar Williams, to step out of the vehicle. Instead, according to the department, Williams hit the gas and "nearly hit" officers as he sped toward I-40.
Once on the interstate, Williams continued for roughly a half-mile at speeds near 80 miles per hour before the Infiniti slammed into a median wall, as reported by WSMV. Police say Williams then got out of the damaged car and ran into oncoming traffic on I-40, where officers ultimately took him into custody. WSMV also reports that officers found marijuana inside the wrecked vehicle and that the two passengers stayed put in the car while Williams ran.
Charges and booking
Per the Metro Nashville Police Department, Williams is now facing a stack of charges. Those include assault on an officer, felony and misdemeanor evading arrest, marijuana possession, leaving the scene of an accident, and misdemeanors for speeding and a stop-sign violation. He was booked into jail, where records show he remains held on a $47,000 bond.
Officers' account and public safety
In their account of the incident, Metro officers stressed how close they say Williams came to hitting them as he tore away from the original stop on Murfreesboro Pike. As WSMV notes, the rapid-fire sequence of events, from the stop to the sprint onto I-40, the median crash, and the brief foot chase in live traffic, highlights the risk to everyone nearby when a driver turns a routine traffic pull-over into an interstate pursuit.
Williams remains in custody as his case moves into the local court system. Metro police have not released additional details about injuries or a court date.
