UPDATE: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released the identity of the man who allegedly shot a Sequatchie County deputy Wednesday night.
Shaun Michael Powers, 21, is charged with attempted first-degree homicide in the incident that left him with a through-and-through bullet wound to his hand and Sequatchie County Deputy Wallace Cunningham with wounds to his shoulder and hip.
The TBI said this morning in a statement Cunningham chased Powers briefly before he drove his vehicle into a ditch.
Cunningham "exited his vehicle and gave lawful commands in an attempt to approach and arrest Powers, who did not comply and brandished a weapon toward the deputy," TBI officials said in a statement.
Cunningham discharged a stun gun toward Powers "and an altercation ensued during which the deputy was fired upon by Powers and struck at least twice," TBI officials state. "Despite his injuries, the deputy was able to disarm and detain Powers until other law enforcement officers could arrive."
Sheriff Ronnie Hitchcock said both men have been treated for their injuries and released.
Powers is being held without bond at the Sequatchie County Justice Center.
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A Sequatchie County, Tenn., deputy and the man he was chasing are recovering from gunshot wounds today after a shootout at the foot of Cagle Mountain in Dunlap Wednesday night.
Deputy Wallace Cunningham suffered two gunshot wounds and the unnamed suspect was struck once as the two fought over a gun a little before 10 p.m. CDT, Sequatchie County Sheriff Ronnie Hitchcock said this morning.
"It could've been worse," Hitchcock said. The suspect could be identified later by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The TBI is now leading the probe into the shooting incident.
Hitchcock said that when the gunfire was over, Cunningham ended up with through-and-through wounds to his hip and shoulder and the suspect was similarly struck through the hand, the sheriff said. Both have been treated for their wounds and released.
The suspect remains in custody and the deputy will be recovering at home for the next few days, the sheriff said.
The chase started as Cunningham had been dispatched to an unrelated call.
Hitchcock said Cunningham was en route to that call when he encountered the suspect's vehicle and that driver "did two or three doughnuts" and sped back past the deputy.
After a pursuit of about a mile or a mile-and-a-half, the suspect spun out into a ditch on Tram Trail and a gunfight erupted as the deputy approached the suspect's car, the sheriff said.
The first gunshot fired when the deputy pulled open the suspect's car door struck the deputy in the shoulder, then as the two struggled for the suspect's weapon another shot hit both men, the sheriff said.
TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said he deputy never fired his own weapon but managed to wrestle the weapon away from the suspect and detained him until other officers arrived.
Cunningham "was flown by medical helicopter to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, where he was treated and later released," DeVine said in an emailed statement on the incident. "Charges are pending in connection to this ongoing investigation."
Stay with the Chattanooga Times Free Press for more on this developing story.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or on Twitter twitter.com/BenBenton or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.