Nashville police officer decommissioned, charged with assault after driving incident

A decomissioned Metro Nashville Police sergeant is facing charges of assault with a vehicle after he allegedly hit a road worker with his personal vehicle during an incident earlier this month.

Donald Barnes, 53, was booked and released on a $5,000 bond Wednesday. He's been with the police department for 26 years and was assigned to the west precinct, according to a statement from the police department.

Barnes was off duty, driving his personal SUV on Interstate 40 east near the Donelson Pike exit on March 7 when he "traveled into a closed area despite traffic cones and barrels," according to the statement.

The construction workers waved their arms in a bid to get his attention, but Barnes kept driving until he stopped close to the road crew, the statement said.

"Barnes and one of the workers engaged in a verbal argument before Barnes reportedly lunged his vehicle forward twice, making contact with one of the workers both times," according to police.

Barnes told the workers he was a police officer and was "seen by the workers holding a pistol across his stomach pointed at the driver's door where one of the workers stood on the outside," according to the statement.

The construction workers backed away from the SUV, and Barnes continued through the blocked-off area onto Donelson Pike. They reported Barnes' license plate number to police, the statement said.

Barnes was decommissioned, meaning his police authority was removed, the next day. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 26.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville police sergeant stripped of power, charged with assault