Police chase from Knoxville to Ooltewah ends in accident and arrests

From Knoxville to Ooltewah, officials were led by a suspect on the run for more than an hour long manhunt Thursday afternoon.
The chase ended in a car accident and arrest of two suspects.

A passenger was arrested near the site of the wreck towards mile marker 11 on I – 75 South, while the driver was apprehended about a mile off the interstate after fleeing on foot.

The driver is identified as 22-year-old Eric Hagood of College Park, Georgia.

Tennessee Highway Patrol officer Cecil Harvey said the chase began when Knoxville authorities tried to pull Hagood over for driving recklessly.

“So troopers on patrol Knoxville trooper was on patrol southbound I 75. So around the 61 mile marker reserved a vehicle which was operating hazardously and posed an immediate threat to the general public. The vehicle refused to stop. So the pursuit started there went from roughly the 60 mile marker to the 11 mile marker where that vehicle crashed into two other vehicles,” said Harvey. “Both the driver and the passenger of that vehicle fled the scene and were later apprehended.”

Ritchie Pruehs is an Ooltewah resident. He lives near the location the suspect was apprehended. He said this type of event is exceptionally unusual for his quite neighborhood.

“As we left the neighborhood, we noticed as we were driving right down over here that there were a couple of officers that had guns in their hands and looked like they were searching for someone. That made us rather nervous because two of our grandchildren were at home and we didn’t want that to be become a danger,” Pruehs said. “So we turned right around, especially after we saw a whole lot more officers down near the Exit 11.”

Hagood was found near Mitchell Mill Road in Ooltewah. THP had their K-9 and Helicopter units in action during the chase. The charges against the suspects are now pending. There are no reports of injury from any pedestrians involved in the crash.