KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — A Gatlinburg man is facing several charges after Tennessee troopers said he crashed into several vehicles on Interstate 40 before attacking an off-duty East Tennessee sheriff.
It began on westbound Interstate 40 in West Knox County in the Turkey Creek area around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
According to the arrest and crash reports from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, multiple people called 911 to report a pick-up truck speeding and driving erratically on I-40. The truck rear-ended one vehicle, swerved into the sides of two other vehicles, and then backed up and hit a Tennessee Department of Transportation work truck that had its lights flashing, troopers said.
THP said the truck then drove 2 to 3 miles down the interstate. According to the arrest report, Loudon County Sheriff Jimmy Davis was also driving down that stretch of I-40 when he saw the truck moving "all over the roadway" and crashing into other vehicles. Davis began following the truck and called 911 to tell officers where the truck was heading.
Davis said the truck then crashed into the center concrete barrier near the North Campbell Station Road exit. He got out of his vehicle and went up to the truck to check on the driver, and that's when the driver "came out of the vehicle fighting." According to the arrest report, the man hit Davis in the head and ribs, injuring him.
The man, identified as 37-year-old Erwin Lanza from Gatlinburg, was taken into custody. Officers said they smelled alcohol on him and said his speech was slurred before they took him to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
At the hospital, a trooper conducted a sobriety test on Lanza and said he showed all the signs of being under the influence. Lanza refused a blood draw and was read his Miranda rights.
According to the arrest report, Lanza said he was driving around 100 mph down I-40 and said he didn't have his seatbelt on.
Several people were hurt in the I-40 crashes, including Lanza. The THP crash report showed two people inside the first car that was rear-ended suffered injuries. The driver of the second vehicle that was sideswiped also suffered injuries. A 1-year-old child was in the third vehicle that was hit, but they were not hurt.
Sheriff Davis suffered multiple broken ribs after the attack, according to the incident report.
Lanza is facing numerous charges, including driving under the influence, reckless endangerment, felony aggravated assault and leaving the scene of an accident. He is also facing other traffic violations and has an immigration hold.
Lanza was booked into jail on Sunday and was being held on a combined $9,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
According to the Knox County Sheriff's Office's records, Lanza was previously cited in August for speeding in a construction zone while workers were present as well as not having a Tennessee driver's license after establishing 30-day residency. Both of those citations were dismissed in September.