Knoxville police officers narrowly avoided a head-on collision on Chapman Highway early Friday morning when a car suddenly veered into their lane, setting off a brief search that ended with officers finding the car parked behind an Arby's; the 25-year-old driver walked out from the back of the business.
According to the Knoxville Police Department, the car swerved from the southbound direction into northbound lanes on Chapman Highway around 12:30 a.m. Friday, putting it on a collision course with the officers. As reported by WBIR, the officers were not hit in the crash, but the near miss was close enough that they turned around to catch up with the vehicle.
Police eventually found the car parked behind the Arby's on Chapman Highway, per the same account. The driver was detained after walking out of the back of the business, and following questioning, he was taken into custody on charges of reckless driving and evading arrest, per KPD.
Department Shares Dashcam Footage, Urges Caution
The Knoxville Police Department shared dashcam video of the incident in a social media post Monday, saying officers were thankful to avoid a collision and urging motorists to use extreme caution on the roadway. In that post, the department also urged drivers to slow down, pay attention, and never get behind the wheel while under the influence or dangerously fatigued.
The driver was charged with reckless driving and evading arrest. The current status of those charges has not been detailed publicly.
A Corridor With a History of Deadly Crashes
Chapman Highway, built in the 1930s as an undivided route connecting Knoxville and Sevierville, has long drawn scrutiny over safety. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says increased growth and traffic along the corridor have created safety and capacity issues, and the agency is working on improvements spanning more than 17 miles across Knox, Blount, and Sevier counties, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The City of Knoxville has pursued its own safety measures over the years, including a map of fatal crashes along the corridor from 2005 to 2018, a TDOT grant for a pedestrian and bike path, and a reduced speed limit on part of the highway, according to the City of Knoxville. A 2019 report found that 25 people had died on the highway since 2014, per wbir.com.
