A 20-year-old Nashville man is facing charges after police say he dragged an officer with a vehicle during a chaotic pursuit that began on Nolensville Pike Saturday night. He allegedly ditched a stolen handgun in a gutter before being caught.
Metro Nashville Police officers, working with a police helicopter, tracked a stolen vehicle on Nolensville Pike just before 10:30 pm Saturday, according to WSMV. Officers identified Jared Richardson as the driver and deployed spike strips, then tracked him to a home on Moorewood Drive, where the vehicle stopped shortly after the strips punctured its tires.
It was there, per the arrest affidavit cited by the station, that Richardson allegedly dragged an officer along with the vehicle before jumping into a second car and driving away — with the officer still partially inside. The extent of the officer's injuries has not been detailed.
Gun Tossed From a Getaway Car
As Richardson fled in the second vehicle, a police helicopter officer reportedly watched him grab a gun and throw it into the gutter of a house, and officers later retrieved the weapon, which was determined to be stolen. Metro Nashville Police's Aviation Unit flies MD 500E and Bell OH58A/C helicopters outfitted with thermal imaging cameras and powerful searchlights, according to information published by the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Officers used a police helicopter and spike strips during the pursuit. In November 2021, MNPD Officer Jerica Gladston was struck and injured while deploying spike strips on Cowan Street during a separate stolen vehicle pursuit.
Cornered Near Trinity Lane
Richardson evaded officers near East Trinity Lane and Dickerson Pike before ultimately coming to a stop at East Trinity Lane and Gallatin Pike, where he ran from the vehicle on foot. Officers apprehended him nearby. Richardson was also driving on a suspended license and had outstanding warrants out of both Davidson and Rutherford counties — the kind of cross-county hold that Middle Tennessee agencies typically manage through the state's shared electronic warrant database, allowing local officers to detain a wanted person before formally executing an inter-county detainer.
A search connected to the second vehicle, which was reportedly stolen, turned up two crack pipes, two digital scales used for narcotics, and several burglary tools, the station's report states. Richardson was also identified as a convicted felon, a status that carries its own legal weight given the stolen handgun recovered from the scene.
What Richardson Could Be Facing
Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-16-603, felony evading arrest in a vehicle is a Class E felony that can be elevated to a Class D felony — punishable by up to six years in prison — if the flight creates a known risk of death or injury to bystanders. Separately, aggravated assault under T.C.A. § 39-13-102 can carry court fines of up to $15,000 along with multi-year prison exposure, according to Justia Law.
Because Richardson was a convicted felon found with a handgun, he also faces potential exposure under T.C.A. § 39-17-1307, which bars felons from possessing firearms. The baseline offense is a Class C felony carrying three to 15 years, with a Class B enhancement for a qualifying violent or drug-related prior, per N. Cate Law. The specific prior conviction that would trigger that enhancement has not been detailed. The crack pipes and scales found in the vehicle were also recovered during the search.
Part of a Broader Regional Pattern
The case adds to a string of stolen-vehicle pursuits across Middle Tennessee this year. Hoodline has previously reported on a stolen Suburban ramming an officer in South Nashville. Two suspects vanished into a Nolensville neighborhood after a separate stolen car chase crashed earlier this month. Regional coordination between Davidson County and neighboring jurisdictions remains central to stopping these mobile offenders.
Saturday's pursuit involved aerial tracking and spike strips, highlighting the risks officers face on the ground when drivers flee.
