Newly released dash cam footage shows an Oak Ridge Police officer shoot and kill a wanted felon in Tennessee. Moreover, the incident ended a wild car chase after Oak Police attempted to serve warrants for several alleged crimes.
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Oak Ridge Police Responds
The chase began when officers spotted the suspect, Isaiah Ramirez, near a home where he was performing renovations. “When police approached, Ramirez climbed in his truck and started the engine as (Officer Nathan) Gibson and another officer cracked his widows with their batons. Police tried to block the road, but Ramirez drove away, nearly running over an officer in the process,” reported knoxnews.com.
Footage then shows the wild chase ensue. Ramirez, pulling a utility trailer, tears down the road at high speed. Additionally, multiple squad cars are seen joining the high speed chase. Officers finally corner Ramirez in a parking lot, where the suspect attempts to turn around.
That’s when Gibson exits his squad car, draws his pistol and positions himself directly in front of the suspect’s truck. When Ramirez lunges toward Gibson, the officer quickly fires three shots through the windshield into the truck. Meanwhile, the truck clips Gibson’s leg, sending the officer stumbling out of frame.
The truck then comes to rest against an empty, parked vehicle in the parking lot. Finally, officers from several squad cars converge on the suspect and gain control of the scene.
Gibson hit Ramirez twice in the chest, and the suspect died at a local hospital. The autopsy showed that Ramirez was under the influence of oxycodone and other prescription drugs. Additionally, he had more than 200 pills in his vehicle, according to the knoxnews.com report.
“While gunshots were the immediate cause of Ramirez’s death, it was Ramirez’s own decisions and conduct that were responsible for his death,” said Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark, as reported by knoxnews.com.