A Knoxville man is in extremely critical condition after police found him walking down a road with a major head injury early Saturday. Investigators say he could not clearly explain what happened, and the electric scooter he had been riding has not been found.
At around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, July 25, officers responded to Howard Baker Jr. Avenue and Honor Our Troops Drive after receiving a report of an injured man walking along the road, according to the Knoxville Police Department. They located 50-year-old Truman Chapman suffering from a significant head injury, but he was unable to clearly tell them what had happened.
Chapman was initially alert and conscious, and responding AMR personnel cleared him at the scene, WVLT reported. Officers were preparing to turn him over to Loudon County deputies because of an outstanding warrant tied to a prior public intoxication charge, but his condition worsened before that handoff could happen.
Chapman was instead taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he remains hospitalized in extremely critical condition, according to the police department. Investigators have not publicly said whether the injury came from a crash, an assault or another circumstance.
Police later determined that Chapman had left Isabella Tower on a personally owned electric scooter sometime after 10 p.m., as reported by WVLT. The scooter has not been located, and investigators said they have not uncovered additional evidence that explains how Chapman was hurt.
Knoxville Police Ask For Witnesses
The case remains focused on reconstructing Chapman’s movements between leaving Isabella Tower and being found near the downtown-area intersection. Police are asking anyone with information about what happened to contact investigators, even if the detail seems minor.
Tips can be submitted anonymously to East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 877-363-8847. People with information can also contact the Knoxville Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit directly at 865-215-7317.
