Note: This story was last updated at 1:28 p.m. June 18.
KINGSTON—A Tellico Plains man driving a Ford pickup truck allegedly almost had a head-on collision with a Roane County deputy in Kingston on Saturday night, fled from officers at speeds over 90 mph, aggressively drove toward patrol cars trying to box him in on Gallaher Road, and crashed into several vehicles in Oak Ridge, causing significant injuries to passengers in one vehicle, authorities said.
The suspect has been identified as Austin Cody Burns, 21, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office said. An incident report said Burns’ ex-girlfriend had broken up with him earlier in the day, and he allegedly stole her pickup truck.
The sheriff’s report said Burns is being charged with felony evading arrest, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving, although it wasn’t clear if he has been arrested yet. The report said his actions were captured on several in-dash video cameras, “including the clear disregard for officer safety while attempting to run officers off the road.”
The chase began at about 11:18 p.m. Saturday on West Race Street in Kingston when Burns nearly collided head-on with a vehicle driven by another Roane County deputy, Deputy Vianney Del Toro wrote. The pursuit continued down Highway 58 and James Ferry Road, and Kingston Police Department Officer Lawrence Russell joined in.
The report said Burns continued to flee, ignoring stop signs and driving on both sides of the road.
He allegedly drove aggressively toward officers about a half-dozen times as they tried to box him in on Gallaher Road, the report said.
“In one of these incidents, the suspect attempted to strike my patrol car, causing me to go into oncoming traffic, almost colliding with two oncoming vehicles,” Del Toro said.
Shortly after entering Oak Ridge, Burns struck the passenger side of another vehicle, but the occupant was not injured, the report said. He then crashed into another vehicle and passengers suffered significant injuries and had to be taken to Methodist Medical Center.
Several Oak Ridge residents reported hearing the chase in west Oak Ridge around midnight Saturday night and early Sunday morning. They reported seeing a dozen or more police cars and emergency vehicles on Oak Ridge Turnpike and on side streets.
One resident reported the Oak Ridge Turnpike was blocked at Wiltshire Drive. There were skid marks across the road there on Monday afternoon.
Earlier Monday, Oak Ridge Police Department Lt. Robin Smith referred questions about the pursuit and crash to the Kingston Police Department and Roane County Sheriff’s Office. Smith said the Tennessee Highway Patrol was investigating the accident.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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