A man is in custody after stealing a Chattanooga police officer's patrol vehicle and leading police on a high-speed chase throughout the downtown area and up Highway 27 Tuesday night.
Quintez Gearing, 30, ran from a police officer on foot after a traffic stop just before 11 p.m. in the 4300 block of Dorris Street and then started fighting with the officer, according to an arrest report.
Quintez GearingGearing was a passenger in the vehicle that was stopped, the report states. The officer caught up to him, at which point Gearing began fighting the officer and trying to reach for the officer's duty weapon.
Gearing then started to strangle the officer while they were on the ground, the report states. Gearing was able to get away and then stole the officer's patrol vehicle.
At that point other officers arrived and began a vehicle pursuit through city streets, not stopping for any stop lights or stop signs, according to the report.
Gearing then got on Highway 27 northbound, reaching speeds over 100 mph.
The chase ended in the 5300 block of Mountain Creek Road after the stolen patrol vehicle got stuck in the mud, the report states.
Officers had to break the driver's window to get Gearing out of the vehicle.
Once out, officers searched his person and found a loaded firearm in his front right pocket, according to the report. Gearing was also wearing a fanny pack which contained 92 grams of meth and 10 grams of heroin, along with a scale and a glass pipe.
Gearing was arrested and taken to the Hamilton County Jail where his bond was set at $75,000.
He faces a slew of charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, evading arrest and multiple drug- and-traffic-related charges.
Gearing has a lengthy arrest history in Hamilton County dating back to 2006, according to online court records. Several charges are drug-related, and others range from disorderly conduct to aggravated robbery.