NEW TAZEWELL, Tenn. — A man and a woman from South Carolina were arrested Wednesday after a police chase in New Tazewell that involved more than four agencies with three helicopters.
New Tazewell Police Department Chief Ben Evans that the chase started mid-afternoon on Wednesday. He said the Tazewell Police Department received a shoplifting call at a Dollar General involving a man and a woman with South Carolina license plates.
NTPD responded to the call to back up TPD and spotted a car in a New Tazewell parking lot. Officers tried to detain the man and woman there, but authorities said they drove away. They later learned that the car was stolen out of South Carolina, according to police.
The man and woman were also wanted on armed robbery charges from South Carolina, and police said they were supposedly armed.
The chase went south on Highway 33 for around 3 miles before they went down a dead-end road in an industrial area. Police said they then blocked the road and the couple left the car while it was still moving. The car rolled to a stop.
The man and woman ran off and a search ensued, which went on for around 30 minutes. They were later found in a wooded thicket by helicopters.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office, the Governor's Marijuana Task Force and three THP helicopters were involved in the chase.
No injuries were reported, but the man and the woman almost hit a truck leaving the industrial area and there was minor damage to the car when it hit a guardrail. They now face charges of theft, felony evading and being fugitives from justice in Tennessee.
They are being held in the Claiborne County Jail, according to police.