KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A woman died and a man was taken into custody after a chase on Middlebrook Pike ended in a truck crashing on Aug. 27, deputies said.
According to an arrest report from the Knox County Sheriff's Office officers spotted a pickup truck at a Kroger on Middlebrook Pike that belonged to a man wanted for multiple warrants who had fled from officers at least two times before.
Deputies said the truck drove off after officers turned on their sirens. Officers chased the truck west on Middlebrook Pike before the truck began driving on the opposite side of the road to turn around. Officers said the driver reached the intersection of Middlebrook Pike and Pheasants Glen Drive near West Park Baptist Church when he crossed over the center median, lost control and crashed into an embankment.
Deputies said a woman in the truck, identified as Kristi McCoy, was ejected from the truck. She suffered serious injuries and later died at University of Tennessee Medical Center. Deputies said they were notified a day later she had died from her injuries.
Officers said the driver, Deshawn Clemmons, got out of the truck. An officer held him at gunpoint and told him to get on the ground. KCSO said he was also taken to UT Medical Center.
Deputies said Clemmons had eight outstanding warrants and was driving with a suspended license. Officers interviewed him in the hospital. According to deputies, he told them he had "put crack in his marijuana and smoked it while they were in the parking lot."
KCSO said Clemmons is being held on a bond of more than $75,000 for vehicular homicide due to driver intoxication. He is also facing several other charges, including evading arrest, aggravated assault, robbery, interference with emergency calls, and vehicular burglary. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9 at 8:30 a.m. for a bond hearing.