High-Speed Pursuit of Stolen Truck on Wrong Side of Highway Ends in Crash

A rollover crash captured on an officer's dashboard camera marked the end of a police pursuit in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

On a Sunday evening, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office received a report around 6:30 p.m. about a stolen Ford F-250 pickup truck. Determined to apprehend the suspect, deputies made two unsuccessful attempts to stop the stolen truck using spike strips. This prompted a chase down I-81, with officers from the White Pine Police Department managing to puncture one of the truck's tires. Despite this setback, the Jefferson County officers persisted in pursuing the suspect.

In a desperate bid to elude the patrol vehicles, the driver of the stolen truck crossed the highway median, heading into oncoming traffic, and then tried to enter I-40 in the wrong direction. At this critical juncture, Lt. Tim Herzog of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deliberately collided with the suspect's vehicle using his patrol vehicle. The impact caused the suspect's vehicle to veer off the roadway and overturn, an event that was captured on the dash camera of Lt. Herzog's patrol car.

Authorities subsequently released the dash camera footage, revealing the dramatic crash. The suspect was later identified as a 59-year-old male and was transported to a hospital in stable condition. Fortunately, there were no other reported injuries resulting from the incident.