Little Debbie Parkway in Collegedale was shut down for several hours Thursday afternoon after a traffic stop ended with the driver fleeing into the woods and the passenger claiming she had been robbed and carjacked, police said.
Collegedale Police Chief Brian Hickman said the driver and the passenger were being held for questioning Thursday night as investigators attempted to piece together the facts.
Hickman said a Collegedale police officer spotted a vehicle leaving the SunTrust Bank parking lot, at 9413 Apison Pike, at a high rate of speed Thursday around 3:45 p.m.
Hickman said the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver didn’t stop immediately. Hickman said the driver eventually stopped in front of the Little Debbie factory. When the car stopped, the driver ran from the vehicle dropping a large “wad” of cash.
According to Hickman, the passenger in the vehicle told the officer she had been robbed and kidnapped by the man who was armed.
Little Debbie Parkway was closed as the Hamilton County SWAT team assisted Collegedale officers and search dogs in finding the suspect.
“We didn’t want someone else to get carjacked,” Hickman said.
The driver was found near the Little Debbie facility and taken into custody without further incident.
Hickman said in the process of the investigation, it was discovered the woman had lied to officers and had been involved in “illegal activities” with the driver.
Hickman said charges are pending against both as police attempt to piece together their identities and where the money came from.