Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: A man is dead after leading Knox County deputies on a multi-county chase Thursday, prompting a standoff with law enforcement, according to District Attorney General Russell Johnson.
Law enforcement officials say the man, who was a person of interest in an overdose death, led Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase through Knox, Anderson and Loudon Counties before the standoff; that chase began around 12:30 on Western Avenue.
According to Loudon County Sheriff Jimmy Davis, the man pulled out a gun and pointed it at officers during the chase before crashing into a tree on U.S. 321, prompting the standoff.
Officials say the man threatened his own life by pointing a gun at his head.
During the standoff, Blount County Sheriff’s Office tactical team members responded to the scene with an armored Bearcat car and fired non-lethal rounds into the man’s car, Johnson said.
“It was determined that the subject was not moving, so officers approached the vehicle to find the subject possibly deceased with a handgun in his lap,” Johnson said.
The suspect was taken to Fort Loudon Medical Center after receiving care from responders, but was pronounced dead at 1:58 p.m.
Since the man was technically in custody at the time of his death, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is handling further investigation.
ORIGINAL STORY: Several law enforcement agencies, including a Knox County Airwatch helicopter, responded to a police chase and standoff across several counties Thursday afternoon.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office say the chase began around 12:30 p.m. when deputies tried to stop a person of interest in an overdose death driving a a silver or primer-colored truck. The man refused to stop for the officers, later pulling out a gun.
KCSO says the chase started in Knox County on Western Avenue then moved into Loudon County where the man stopped his truck. The man was reportedly armed and threatened his own life, sparking a standoff with police.
Officials report officers also fired shots at the suspect during the standoff.
No other details have been released.
KCSO Narcotics, Airwatch, the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office, the Oak Ridge Police Department, and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the incident.
