MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. (AP) – Two officers were struck and killed Wednesday by a car fleeing police during a high-speed chase on Interstate 40, authorities said.
The chase began after officers learned the car was stolen Sunday in east Tennessee.
About 30 minutes later, Mount Juliet police Sgt. Jerry Mundy, 43, and Wilson County Sheriff’s Deputy John Musice, 49, were hit after they put spike strips on the interstate to stop the car and moved to the side of the road.
“The car veered to avoid the spike strips and struck the officers and a law enforcement vehicle,” said Beth Tucker Womack, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The driver, identified as Fallon Tallent, 21, was released from a hospital and taken into custody. The passenger, Dorothy Cash, 33, remained hospitalized in stable condition.
Authorities declined to speculate on speeds reached during the chase. The crash happened about 25 miles east of Nashville.
Tallent’s encounter with law enforcement began Wednesday morning in Knoxville. She rammed an officer’s patrol car when he confirmed the car was stolen and pulled behind it in a parking lot, said Knoxville police department spokesman Darrell DeBusk.
The officer chased Tallent for less than two miles before a supervisor called off the pursuit, DeBusk said. Authorities in the area were familiar with Tallent, he said, and officers knew they could find her later.
Charges were pending against Tallent in Wilson County, where the crash occurred.
It was not immediately known if any charges would be brought against Cash, or if Tallent had an attorney.
In Knox County, where the alleged first incident happened, Tallent faces charges of aggravated assault, driving with a revoked license and reckless endangerment. Authorities did not know if Cash was in the car at that time.
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