A car chase resulting in an officer-involved shooting occurred Sunday night at the Regal Inn in Murfreesboro and is currently being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
At 7:11 p.m., officers responded to reports of an individual issuing a general threat to three children inside his vehicle in the motel parking lot located on S Church Street, according to TBI Public Information Officer Josh DeVine.
Witnesses say when the officer arrived, the suspect, who was reportedly armed, fled the scene in his vehicle, and a chase involving at least 11 squad cars ensued.
“I had a front-door seat to where it started,” said Al Wilson, a Chicago truck driver parked near the motel. “The cop pulled right up to (the suspect). Cop got out of his car, he saw the cop, cop looked at him, and he just took straight off down the street. Cop jumped back in his car, wheels smoking and everything.”
The suspect then led police on an estimated 10-mile chase beginning on S Church Street, continuing towards MTSU and returning multiple times to the Regal Inn parking lot. Witnesses say when the suspect returned to the motel for the first time, shots were fired. According to DeVine, preliminary reports say the suspect tried to run at least one officer over with his vehicle, prompting the shots. The chase continued, resulting in the suspect colliding with a Murfreesboro Police squad car before surrendering.
“You could hear [the gunshots] clear as day,” said Jessica Grimes, a witness who captured footage of the chase on her phone. “I had never seen a chase like that before in my life.”
TBI says the suspect was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville to treat unknown injuries. It is unclear what the man’s relation is to the three children, who were reportedly inside the vehicle during the chase. The Department of Children’s Services has been notified of the incident.
DeVine says more details on the shooting and chase will be released Monday.
Watch footage from the chase below, courtesy of Grimes.
Portions of the chase were caught on video by witness: pic.twitter.com/DzCxcpOLqa
— News | MTSUSidelines (@Sidelines_News) March 7, 2016
More footage of the chase courtesy of witness: pic.twitter.com/p9F4iA530E
— News | MTSUSidelines (@Sidelines_News) March 7, 2016
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