Friday night’s/Saturday morning’s coordinated street racer enforcement initiative by MNPD Traffic officers, Violent Crimes Division detectives, South Precinct officers and THP troopers led to multiple vehicle stops and arrests, including four persons who are facing felony evading arrest charges.
Both MNPD and THP helicopters were involved in spotting the locations of reckless activity and monitoring vehicles that fled from ground officers.
Those facing criminal charges include:
- Patrick Jones, 27, of Memphis, who is charged with felony evading arrest by motor vehicle. A THP trooper spotted Jones traveling at 81 mph in a Dodge Charger on Franklin Pike. He ignored the trooper’s emergency equipment and sped away. One of the helicopters followed Jones to an apartment complex on Tampa Drive where he was arrested. $5,000 bond.
- Marricus Duncan, 23, of Humboldt, Jones’ passenger, who is charged with unlawful gun possession while the subject of an order of protection issued in Rutherford County. An AR-style rifle was found in the rear passenger seat of the Charger. An AR-style pistol and a Glock semi-automatic pistol were found in the grass next to where Duncan and Jones were arrested in the apartment complex. $2,000 bond.
- Derrick Vassar, 23, of Gallatin, who is charged with felony evading arrest by motor vehicle, aggravated reckless driving, evading arrest on foot, resisting arrest, and displaying the wrong license plate on his Corvette. Officers on the ground and in the air were in the area of Old Hickory Boulevard and Firestone Parkway when they saw a large number of persons in a gas station parking lot as Vassar did donuts with the Corvette in the parking lot. Officers attempted to stop Vassar as he pulled out. He refused to stop and accelerated. The Corvette was followed by a helicopter crew to 210 Crossings Place, where Vassar bailed out and tried to run. He was taken into custody in the back parking area of the property. The tag on the Corvette was registered to a Ford. $10,500 bond.
- Mackqies Raymond, 21, of Nashville, who is charged with felony evading arrest by motor vehicle and aggravated reckless driving. Raymond, driving an orange Dodge Charger, was spotted at several “meet up” spots where vehicles were doing burnouts and donuts. He repeatedly fled from officers. Raymond was even spotted by police doing donuts on Murfreesboro Pike under the airport runway bridge. The Charger was tracked to Omohundro Place where Raymond was ultimately arrested. $10,000 bond.
- Tyler J. Cobb, 21, of Murfreesboro, who is named in Nashville arrest warrants charging him with felony evading arrest by motor vehicle, aggravated reckless driving and driving on a suspended license. Cobb was seen doing donuts while driving a U-Haul pickup truck in a parking lot on Corporate Drive. An MNPD lieutenant tried to stop him with lights and siren activated. Cobb fled in a manor that placed himself, those in the truck with him and other motorists in significant danger. A THP helicopter followed Cobb until he was ultimately stopped by a trooper in Murfreesboro. At the time of last night’s stop, Cobb was free on $50,000 bond stemming from his arrest in February on two counts of felony aggravated assault. He was alleged to have pointed a gun at two persons who criticized a car meet Cobb was attending. Cobb was arrested and charged by the THP for offenses in Rutherford County. He will be booked on the Nashville charges in the near future.
- Jermont Robinson, 21, of LaVergne, was issued a state misdemeanor citation charging him with aggravated reckless driving after he was seen driving a blue Mustang doing donuts in the parking lot of Woodmont Hills Church on Franklin Pike. This was a “meet up” spot and there were numerous individuals and vehicles in the parking lot at the time.
A number of citations were also written during the operation for violations including speeding, excessive noise, careless driving, running red lights, failure to use a turn signal, and not having proof of insurance.
