Man charged after police pursuit ends in multi-car crash on I-40, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A man faces several charges after a police pursuit ended in a multi-car crash on Interstate 40 Wednesday morning, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) said.

Michael Thacker was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of evading arrest in a vehicle and reckless driving.

Just after 10:00 Wednesday morning, MPD said, patrolling officers saw a car that matched the description of a vehicle that had been involved in an aggravated assault on Tuesday in the area of Quince and Colonial. Police said the officers tried to pull the car over, but the driver took off instead, and the officers gave chase.

At I-40 and Hollywood, MPD said, the suspect's car crashed into two other cars; the driver of the suspect car was detained and taken to the hospital, and was expected to recover. Police said no one else was injured in the crash.

Tennessee Department of Transportation cameras showed a number of cars involved, with at least one vehicle down in the ditch near the tree line on the right hand side of the highway.