Chattanooga Police arrest two known gang members Thursday afternoon

Chattanooga, TN (WDEF) – Chattanooga Police make a traffic stop on a known violent criminal ending in the arrest of two validated gang members Thursday afternoon.

A Chattanooga Police Department’s Neighborhood Policing Division officer observed a car driving at a high rate of speed at the corner of Citico and North Chamberlain Avenue.

The officer noticed the car’s description matched the suspect vehicle from a shooting on Brainerd Road on February 3, 2016.

When the officer tried to approach the car, driver Montrell Crayton (AKA Montrell Franklin) put the car in reverse and sped toward the officer standing outside, narrowly missing that officer.

A short while after the suspect took off, the officer found the car again on Glenwood Parkway, but the suspect fled again.

Additional officers then spotted him and tried to stop him once again.

Police say the suspect’s reckless driving caused him to hit an unoccupied parked vehicle on Vine St, and eventually lost full control of the car and wrecked on Wheeler Avenue.

He then took off on foot, and was caught by investigators from the Street Crimes Response Team.

Police say Darius J Blakemore was passenger in the backseat. They say was shot in December and couldn’t run because he was wearing a leg brace.

Crayton faces charges of Aggravated Assault with a Vehicle, Felony Evading Arrest, Failure to Signal Turn, Stop Sign Violation, Speeding, Reckless Driving, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving on Revoked License, Resisting Arrest.

Blakemore faces charges of Possession of Drugs for Resale, Possession of Drugs for Resale (Cocaine), which were outstanding warrants for arrest.