A driver fleeing Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies in a high-speed chase struck two vehicles near the 500 block of Browns Ferry Road, leaving one woman injured and needing surgery, according to a sworn law enforcement affidavit.
The driver, Shawn Griffin, 24, was arrested and faces 11 charges, including felony and misdemeanor evading arrest, three counts of aggravated assault, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and several other traffic offenses, the affidavit said. Haley Brown, 28, the truck’s passenger, was also arrested and charged with misdemeanor evading arrest and had an extraditable warrant out of Georgia.
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Deputies said they attempted to stop a black 2017 Nissan Titan pickup truck around 5 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 24 eastbound, but the driver refused to pull over and accelerated onto the shoulder, passing traffic with no regard for safety.
The truck exited onto Cummings Highway, ran multiple red lights and swerved into oncoming lanes, reaching speeds around 100 mph, the affidavit states. The vehicle then collided head-on with a vehicle with the 68-year-old woman inside, near the 500 block of Browns Ferry Road, according to the affidavit, which said that continuing north, the truck also struck another car with two people inside, though they were uninjured.
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The truck came to a stop, and Brown and Griffin fled on foot. Assisting deputies found Brown and Griffin near 400 Patten Chapel Road.
The woman in the head-on collision temporarily lost consciousness and was trapped inside her car. Emergency services took her to Erlanger hospital, deputies said. An update on the victim from the hospital revealed she suffered a broken left leg and dislocated hip, requiring surgery.
“The careless, thoughtless and felonious actions of the suspect have now caused injury to an innocent person,” Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Matt Lea said in an email. “Had the suspect simply complied with the stop, this incident could have been avoided.”
Griffin and Brown are scheduled to appear in court Monday morning, according to online records.
Contact breaking news reporter Mason Edwards at medwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6409.