MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two officers and one suspect were taken to the hospital after police followed a shooting suspect onto I-40, where the suspect crashed and officers were hit by another driver.
The incident began around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday when officers someone in a black Infiniti shooting at another car in the area of Vance and Lauderdale.
When officers attempted to pull the Infiniti over, they fled the scene going north and eventually crashed at I-40 and Hollywood.
One suspect in the Infiniti was injured and taken to Regional One in critical condition.
Police are still looking for two other suspects.
As police were working that crash, the department says one of their patrol units was hit by another car.
The two officers in that unit were both taken to the hospital and are expected to be ok. Both were out of the hospital Wednesday morning, police said.
The ramp from I-40 to Hollywood was down to one lane for hours as police investigated.
This comes on the heels of another scary incident for first reponders this past Saturday, when a car hit a fire truck on I-240 and injured several firefighters.
And in August, a pickup crashed into a Memphis fire truck, injuring three and killing Driver David Pleasant, a 32-year veteran of the department.
The incidents prompted Fire Chief Gina Sweat to speak up.
“I need them to slow down and move over and let our firefighters and first responders do the jobs you’re paying us to do,” she said.
Sweat is now pushing state lawmakers to pass stiffer penalties for drivers who injure first responders on the job. State lawmakers say they’re considering it.
In a statement from MPD, they remind people “The state of Tennessee has a ‘Move Over’ law requiring drivers to change lanes or slow down when approaching scenes where these vehicles are present.”
They go on to say, “Unfortunately MPD has seen officers and vehicles struck while working crashes.”
