KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Editor's Note: THP originally said the man's name was "Tyler Coy Smelcher." This story was corrected to reflect the correct spelling.
UPDATE WEDNESDAY: Authorities were tracking and planned to arrest the man Tuesday who ended up crashing and dying in a wreck on Chapman Highway, the U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee said Wednesday.
The man was wanted on a drug-related state warrant out of Blount County, according to Marshal David G. Jolley. But he drove away before authorities could get to him, the marshal said.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, which happened about 5:30 p.m. near Hendron Chapel Road. Jolley referred questions about the crash to THP.
They released a preliminary report about the incident on Wednesday, identifying the man as Tyler Coy Smelcer, 30. He died in the crash along with another passenger who was in his car, identified as Ashley Marie Warren, 31.
The Regional Forensic Center has the man's body and is conducting an autopsy.
THP said Smelcer was driving north in the southbound lanes of Chapman Highway and swerved to avoid a vehicle, hitting another car. Two people were injured in that car before Smelcer hit a steel utility pole.
THP said the car that Smelcer drove split in half after hitting the pole, and both Smelcer and Warren were ejected from the car.
Jolley said marshals and members of the Smokey Mountain Fugitive Task Force had been tracking the man Tuesday. They intended to arrest him, but he gave them the slip in a vehicle at the Food City in Seymour.
“We never had hands on him,” the marshal said.
Authorities said Smelcer drove away from the store, taking neighborhood roads. Authorities tried to find him. The next thing they saw was that he was on Chapman Highway.
“They did not pursue.," the marshal said, deciding it was too risky and that they could catch him another day.
Shortly after, they learned that he’d been in a multi-vehicle crash.
“Our guys weren’t there, they didn’t see it,” he said.
The grocery store is several miles south of Hendron Chapel Road and Chapman Highway.
The northbound lanes of Chapman were closed for several hours Tuesday night at the crash scene.
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PREVIOUS STORY: The Tennessee Department of Transportation said a multi-vehicle crash closed northbound lanes of Chapman Highway on Tuesday, at the Hendron Chapel Road intersection.
According to TDOT, the crash was reported at around 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. Troopers on the scene said three vehicles were involved in the crash.
Additional information about the crash, such as the circumstances surrounding it and whether any injuries were reported, was not immediately available. This story will be updated when more information is available.