Charges expected following Friday road rage incident

By Eddie West

Staff Writer

A male subject is expected to face charges following a police pursuit and road rage incident which occurred on Interstate 40 in Smith County, Friday afternoon.

Sheriff’s department officers were dispatched to Interstate 40 when a caller reported a male subject had stopped his vehicle on the interstate and was yelling at passing motorists.

Sgt. Jimmy Lankford  spotted the male subject  traveling in a pickup truck around the 255 mile marker in the West bound lanes.

Sgt. Lankford activated his emergency equipment in an attempt to stop the subject.

“After activating my emergency equipment he (the driver) did reach speeds over 100 miles per hour with disregard to the public safety of innocent bystanders and refused to stop,” according to an offense report filed by Sgt. Lankford.

The driver of the vehicle wrecked at the approximately 251 mile marker (still within Smith County).

The Hispanic male subject was transported by ambulance to Vanderbilt Wilson County in Lebanon and later transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to Sgt. Lankford’s report.

The driver of the vehicle is expected to face evading arrest and driver without a license.

The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m.

(There will be an update to this story when charges are filed against the male driver.)

Read more in next week’s Courier!!