Dyersburg, Tenn.–In a bizarre incident early Sunday morning, a man was killed in an accident involving a caravan of speeding vehicles in Dyersburg. The people in the caravan reportedly became unruly toward officers who were attempting to render aid after the accident.
One of the occupants was pronounced dead on the scene and the other two passengers are currently in Regional One in Memphis. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is working the crash, which occurred outside of the City of Dyersburg.
In addition to Dyersburg Police assisting on the scene, Dyer County Sheriff’s Department, Dyersburg Fire Department, and West Tennessee Healthcare Dyersburg EMS responded.
According to the press release issued by Dyersburg Police this afternoon, the incident began at approximately 1:08 a.m. Sunday, when a Dyersburg police officer on patrol observed a caravan of vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed on US 51 By-pass, near Christie Street.
The lead vehicle, a 2008 Infiniti, was pulling away from the other vehicles. The officer began to initiate a traffic stop on the Infiniti, near Airport Road at the city limits, when the driver accelerated.
According to the police report, the officer disengaged the traffic stop when the driver showed no signs of yielding to emergency equipment. The Infiniti continued south at a high rate of speed as it traveled outside of the city limits. As the vehicle approached another vehicle also traveling south, the driver swerved abruptly and fishtailed. The driver lost control, and the vehicle left the roadway where it went airborne flipping and ejecting three passengers.
The officer observing the crash, immediately responded to the scene and called for EMS and the Fire Department.
The driver of the Infiniti, later identified as Jeremy Grant II, age 18, Covington, Tennessee, exited the vehicle.
According to the press release, multiple vehicles that were traveling with the Infiniti stopped at the crash scene. From 15-20 individuals exited their vehicles yelling at the officer who was attempting to assess the injured to offer assistance. Grant was observed attempting to leave the scene by getting into a vehicle that had stopped.
The officer then transitioned from rendering aid to the injured, to attempting to apprehend Grant. Due to the number of individuals on the scene, and the driver of the truck attempting to leave with Grant ignoring the officer’s commands, the officer held the driver at gun point awaiting for back up officers.
Grant complied with the officer’s commands, and exited the truck and was taken into custody. The driver of the truck fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Grant is charged by Dyersburg Police with evading arrest, and is being held pending an appearance in Dyersburg City Court.
Dyersburg Police Chief Steve Isbell issued the following statement. “The review of this incident is on-going, and the preliminary results are that the officer followed proper procedures and guidelines. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle, and it was immediately obvious to the officer that the driver of the Infiniti was going to evade the officer’s attempt to stop the vehicle. The officer following departmental policy immediately disengaged the attempted traffic stop, and did not pursue the vehicle.”