A 45-year-old driver is behind bars after police say his pickup jumped a curb on Woodland Street on Tuesday afternoon and killed a man walking on the sidewalk, leaving neighbors badly shaken. Investigators identified the driver as Antwaine McBee, who was taken into custody and now faces a vehicular homicide charge. The victim, tentatively identified as a 62-year-old Nashville man, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the crash also damaged a fence and several parked cars as the truck continued on, according to police.
What investigators say
According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the crash happened around 3:45 p.m. in the 400 block of Woodland Street when a 2013 Ford Raptor driven by McBee crossed into oncoming lanes, jumped a curb and struck a pedestrian on the sidewalk. The truck then crashed through a fence into the parking lot at 417 Woodland Street and hit four parked vehicles. Officers reported smelling marijuana coming from the truck and said McBee admitted to smoking marijuana before the wreck. Toxicology testing is underway. McBee is charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication and driving on a suspended license and is being held on a $75,000 bond, police said. The Medical Examiner’s Office will make a positive identification of the victim.
Neighbors raise alarm as pedestrian deaths climb
The deadly crash lands in the middle of a broader fight over Nashville’s rising traffic deaths, as residents and advocates plead for safer streets. In April, neighbors and city leaders gathered at Hartman Park to map dangerous crossings and press officials for action. Local TV stations have also highlighted recent fatal pedestrian collisions. For example, WSMV reported a May 4 crash in which a freight truck struck and killed a man near East Trinity Lane, a case that advocates point to as one more reason for engineering and enforcement changes.
How Tennessee law treats vehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide, including deaths tied to a driver’s intoxication, is defined in Tennessee statute TCA § 39‑13‑213, which sets out felony penalties and, in some intoxication cases, mandatory minimum terms, according to Law.Justia. Prosecutors are expected to wait on toxicology results and the Medical Examiner’s findings before deciding whether to seek any enhanced charges. Police say toxicology testing is underway, as reported by NewsChannel 5. Any eventual sentence, if there is a conviction, would depend on how the case is classified under the statute and whether McBee has prior offenses.
Investigators describe the case as active while they complete testing and confirm the victim’s identity. McBee remains jailed on a $75,000 bond as the district attorney’s office reviews the investigation.
