OVERTON CO: HOSTAGES, HIGH SPEED CHASE, SCHOOLS LOCKED DOWN, SUSPECT KILLED
A wanted man from Indiana died after a chase and shoot-out with authorities in Overton County on Thursday.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, investigators from the Overton County Sheriff’s Department developed information about the fugitive’s whereabouts.
Around 3 p.m., deputies tried to stop a vehicle they believed he may have been driving when the man fired multiple shots into the deputy’s vehicle with a semi-automatic rifle, narrowly missing the deputy.
The deputy chased the vehicle and called for back-up.
The fugitive eventually fled into the woods as SWAT officers from several nearby jurisdictions pursued the man through the woods.
The fugitive then broke into a home on Old Mill Lane and held a couple at gunpoint, demanding the keys to their pick-up truck. They gave him the keys and he fled in the truck.
He then drove a short distance on Old Mill Lane before encountering officers who fired at him in an attempt to stop him. The fugitive crashed the pick-up in a ravine off the side of the road.
The TBI said the man appeared to have died from a gunshot wound. An autopsy will determine if the fugitive died from an officer’s shot or a self-inflicted gunshot.
One deputy sustained minor injuries from broken glass after the fugitive fired at his windshield.
A nearby elementary school was placed on lockdown after the fugitive fired at the deputy. A TBI spokesperson said the man had several weapons and was considered very dangerous.
Investigators said it was fortunate no one else was injured.
The TBI continued to investigate multiple scenes on Thursday evening. They have not yet identified the fugitive but said he had family living in Overton County.