What started as a high-speed attempt to dodge a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper ended with a car buried in the side of an occupied Memphis apartment Thursday evening, leaving neighbors rattled and two men in cuffs.
Troopers say a blue-gray Infiniti G37 was flying down Ketchum Road at roughly 89 mph in a 45 mph zone when the driver lost control, hit a fence pole, and barreled down a slope straight into an apartment unit. Residents told officers they watched two men bail out and sprint toward a nearby unit before troopers tracked them down.
What troopers say
According to Action News 5, a trooper on Ketchum Road just before 6 p.m. tried to pull over the Infiniti after spotting it allegedly doing about 89 mph in a 45 mph stretch. The trooper hit the lights and siren, but instead of stopping, the car sped up, tried to make a right turn, clipped a fence pole, and then slid down a hill into the side of an apartment that was occupied at the time.
Troopers searched the wrecked car and reported finding a receipt with the name Martavius Johnson. Residents at the complex told them the two men who ran from the crash had headed into apartment #8. That is where officers say they found and detained Johnson and his brother, Micah Boarder.
Legal context and pursuit risks
Tennessee law makes it possible to charge evading arrest in a vehicle as a felony when a driver intentionally ignores an officer’s signal to stop, and the attempt to flee puts others at risk. That framework is laid out in Tenn. Code § 39-16-603.
Local reporting and investigations have flagged a sharp rise in Tennessee Highway Patrol pursuits in Memphis, with some high-speed chases ending in crashes. Critics say that the trend raises serious safety concerns for both residents and officers, MLK50 found.
Charges, court date, and next steps
Per Action News 5, Martavius Johnson was charged with evading arrest (in a vehicle), evading on foot, speeding, reckless endangerment, driving without a license, and leaving the scene of an accident. His brother, Micah Boarder, was charged with evading arrest and fleeing the scene.
Both men are expected to appear in the Shelby County court on May 11.
Neighbors and what to watch
Residents in neighborhoods where pursuits have ended in crashes say incidents like Thursday’s only heighten fears about what could happen on otherwise quiet residential streets and near apartment complexes.
Coverage of other recent chases, including a wrong-way pursuit on Kirby Parkway earlier this month, has intensified debate over when troopers should keep chasing and when to back off. That wrong-way run on Kirby Parkway has been held up as a prime example of the risks at play.
In the coming weeks, prosecutors and public defenders will sort through the evidence and charges in the Ketchum Road case. Troopers say their investigation into the crash is still active.
