Saturday evening traffic in East Memphis took a jarring turn when a Memphis Police Department cruiser collided with two other vehicles at Poplar Avenue and Prescott Street, sending three people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. City officials said the officer behind the wheel was cited for disregarding a red light while responding to a suspicious-vehicle call.
Just after 6 p.m., the cruiser entered the intersection at Poplar and Prescott and struck two vehicles, injuring the officer and two motorists, according to WMC Action News 5. The department said the officer had emergency lights activated but not the siren, and investigators later concluded the officer ran a red light. All three people were taken to area hospitals in non-critical condition, and the officer received a citation for disregarding a traffic-control signal.
The department issued a brief written statement after the crash. The Daily Memphian noted that MPD said the officer had “just received a suspicious vehicle call” before entering the intersection, and the paper reiterated that three people were transported to the hospital and that the officer was cited for running the red light.
Memphis' record on cruiser collisions
Crashes involving MPD vehicles surface regularly in local coverage, raising persistent questions about driving policies and training inside the department. Earlier reporting on hundreds of MPD crashes cited public records that show the department has been involved in hundreds of collisions in recent years.
Next steps
So far, MPD's public account of this latest wreck has stuck to the basics: the officer was responding to a suspicious-vehicle call and was cited for running the red light. The department has not released any additional details about the investigation. Reporters are seeking further information from MPD and will update coverage as new information becomes available.
