Suspect who shot at officers has a history of arrests related to drugs and violence

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee(WDEF) – A Chattanooga man with a lengthy criminal record is now facing several felony charges including attempted first degree murder.

Jeffery Frederique, 31, of Chattanooga was arrested Thursday evening after leading police on a high speed chase that was captured on a police car dash-cam.

According to investigators, an officer tried to pull over Frederique after noticing him commit a traffic violation. But instead of stopping, investigators said he sped away. At some point during the chase, officers said Frederique pulled out a gun and fired several shots at officers who were in pursuit.

The chase ended in the 3200 block of New York Avenue when Frederique crashed his vehicle into a wooded area along the roadside.

After the crash, Frederique reportedly fled the scene on foot but was quickly captured.

He was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injures that are believed to have been sustained when he crashed his vehicle.

During a Friday afternoon press conference, Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher did not hold back when talking about Frederique.

"This person clearly had no regard for human life and was intent on harming police officers. If you intend to harm police officers, you are a danger to our community," Fletcher said.

The Thursday night incident wasn’t the first time Frederique ran from law enforcement. Back in 2006, he led North Georgia police on a high speed chase that ended when his vehicle crashed into a home. Luckily no one inside the house suffered serious injuries.

Court records show Frederique has been arrested for numerous violent and drug related offenses; many of which were dismissed in court. The question now is how did he beat those charges and why was he allowed back on the streets.

"This person needs to be off the street. We have significant reason to believe that he has been involved in more crimes than this. We’ll fully pursue this to make sure this dangerous criminal does not endanger any more of my police officers or any more of my community members," Fletcher said.

News 12 is actively trying to obtain the dash-cam video of the entire incident.