A pre-dawn police pursuit in South Nashville ended with two Metro officers in the hospital and a driver in handcuffs after a crash in a parking lot near Murfreesboro Pike and Spence Lane early Wednesday. Officers were taken in for medical checks as a precaution, and police said the driver was arrested at the scene. The suspect’s name has not yet been released.
Police account of the chase
According to Metro police, officers had been monitoring a vehicle that did not have a license plate and that they believed was tied to suspected narcotics activity. When they tried to pull the car over, the driver took off. The pursuit came to an end in a nearby parking lot, where investigators say the driver intentionally rammed two patrol vehicles, causing significant damage. The suspect was ultimately arrested without further incident, WKRN reported.
What investigators will review
In the aftermath of pursuits, Metro typically pulls together a thick stack of evidence. That usually includes in-car and body-worn camera footage, which the department notes on its camera information page is kept for years and can be key in crash investigations. Detectives are also expected to examine crash reports, squad vehicle telematics and statements from any witnesses to piece together what happened and to evaluate whether department policy was followed. Some of that footage and documentation can later be released under Tennessee’s public records laws, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
How risky pursuits can be
Vehicle chases have long been a flashpoint in Middle Tennessee, in part because they so often end with crumpled cars and serious injuries. Earlier this spring, a Tennessee Highway Patrol pursuit on I-24 in South Nashville ended in a crash that killed two people, as reported by WSMV. Metro’s vehicular pursuit policy, made public through a records request, instructs officers to weigh the immediate danger a suspect poses against the added risk a chase creates for everyone else on the road, an approach outlined in documents posted by MuckRock.
What officials are asking
Metro police are asking anyone who saw the crash or captured it on video to contact investigators to help reconstruct the sequence of events. The two officers involved were treated at a hospital as a precaution, and the suspect remains in custody, according to WKRN.
