Late Sunday night on May 3, what looked like a stunt scene broke out on Kirby Parkway, but nobody was laughing. The Tennessee Highway Patrol says a dark sedan tore down the wrong side of the road at high speed with no headlights and eventually crashed near the Mt. Moriah Extended intersection. The car hit a concrete utility box and landed on its side, leaving two men inside unconscious until troopers pulled them out and paramedics arrived. The driver was taken into custody at the scene.
According to Action News 5, a state trooper parked in the Superlo Foods lot on Kirby Parkway first spotted the sedan heading the wrong way. When the trooper flipped on the lights and siren to try to stop the car, the driver allegedly refused to pull over and instead sped up to an estimated 83 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone. Investigators say the driver lost control at the Mt. Moriah Extended intersection, where the vehicle crashed and rolled. Troopers on scene reported that multiple airbags deployed and that they charged the driver, identified as Deangelo Sharp, with evading arrest in a vehicle, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, violating the light law, speeding, due care, and financial responsibility. Bond and court information were not immediately available.
Scene and records
While emergency crews treated the injured men and stabilized the overturned sedan, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers began their on-scene investigation. The agency documents the collisions it investigates and provides guidance on how those involved can request crash reports and related records. For details on obtaining a crash report, THP directs motorists to the Tennessee Highway Patrol crash report guidance available through the state site.
Why are wrong-way runs so dangerous
Wrong-way incidents do not happen as often as other types of crashes, but they are especially deadly because they tend to involve high speeds and head-on impacts. Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that wrong-way crashes make up only a small percentage of total wrecks on divided highways, yet account for a much larger share of the resulting deaths. That imbalance highlights how quickly even a short, wrong-way run can turn catastrophic.
Charges and legal next steps
Under Tennessee law, taking off in a car after a trooper signals you to stop is not just a bad idea; it can be a felony. The state statute and appellate court rulings on Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-16-603 makes clear that intentionally fleeing after a signal to stop can be prosecuted as evading arrest and that the charge can be bumped up if the chase creates a risk of death or serious injury. Tennessee appellate decisions spell out what prosecutors have to prove and acknowledge potential defenses, such as a claim that the attempted arrest itself was unlawful. Action News 5 lists the full set of charges against Sharp and reports that he remained in custody as of the latest update.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol says the investigation is still active. Once formal charging documents are filed, a first court appearance and related records should show up in Shelby County public case files. This story will be updated as additional public records or official statements become available.
