A 19-year-old driver who deputies say fled a traffic stop at more than 130 miles per hour, at times with his headlights off and driving into oncoming traffic, crashed into another vehicle after running a red light at the end of a roughly fifteen-mile pursuit on Highway 321, injuring three people including a passenger who was ejected from his own vehicle.
Source: WVLT
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office said the pursuit began when a deputy tried to stop a Nissan Rogue on Highway 321. The Nissan matched the description of a vehicle reportedly involved in an earlier incident at McGee Square Apartments in Lenoir City, where an occupant allegedly threatened to shoot residents and was believed to potentially be armed. Those apartment allegations are the sheriff's office account of why deputies wanted the vehicle stopped; they have not been tested in court.
Source: WVLT
According to the sheriff's office, the Nissan initially stopped at a boat ramp near Highway 444 before fleeing. Deputies said the vehicle then travelled into oncoming traffic on Highway 321, narrowly missing another vehicle, and continued toward Blount County.
Fifteen miles at more than 130 mph
The sheriff's office said the driver exceeded 130 mph at times during the pursuit and turned off the vehicle's exterior lights. Emergency dispatch traffic from responders in Maryville, in Blount County, independently described a pursuit vehicle travelling at over 100 mph in the same area, a possible ejection, and an injury crash near Robert C. Jackson Drive and Alexander Parkway.
After about fifteen miles, deputies said, the Nissan ran a red light at Robert C. Jackson Drive and crashed into another vehicle. The driver, identified as 19-year-old Michael Ghaster, and a passenger who was ejected from his vehicle were taken to an area hospital. The driver of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries. In total, three people were injured.
Source: WVLT
What investigators say they found at the scene
Investigators recovered suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia at the crash scene, according to the sheriff's office. The substances are described by deputies as suspected, because laboratory confirmation has not been reported, and the possession allegations are charges, not findings of fact.
Source: WVLT
Ghaster faces charges including evading arrest, vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, simple possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with several traffic-related offences, according to the sheriff's office. All of the charges are allegations: Ghaster has not been convicted of anything in this case and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Highway 321 is the main road linking Lenoir City in Loudon County with Maryville in Blount County and, beyond it, the Great Smoky Mountains — a corridor that mixes local traffic, shoppers and heavy tourist flow. A pursuit that reaches 130 mph, crosses into oncoming lanes and ends at a red light on that road puts every driver on it at risk, which is why the charges in this case centre not only on fleeing but on the danger deputies say the flight created for uninvolved motorists, including the driver who was hit at the intersection.
What happens next will depend first on the hospital treatment of Ghaster and his passenger, whose conditions have not been released. The sheriff's office investigation continues, and Ghaster faces booking and a first court appearance on the listed charges once he is medically cleared. The other driver's account, the deputies' pursuit records and any video from the fifteen-mile route are the evidence prosecutors in Loudon and Blount counties will review. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when court dates or conditions are released.