Teen leads deputies on high-speed chase in stolen car linked to Nashville murder
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – A Madison teenager is behind bars in the Williamson County Jail after being caught driving wildly in a stolen car that Metro police said was linked to a murder.
MNPD said Nicholas Dalton, 19, was not involved in the Nashville murder and investigators have not yet provided News 2 with information about that murder.
Police told News 2 the car that Dalton was driving was somehow connected, but what role the car played is not known at this time.
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Williamson County deputies said Brentwood and Franklin police officers were alerted to the stolen vehicle thanks to license plate recognition cameras.
According to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin police officers spiked the 2015 Honda Accord’s two front tires around Moore’s Lane and I-65.
Deputies soon joined the chase as Dalton fled at speeds close to 100 mph up I-65 toward Nashville.
As the Honda entered a ramp onto I-40 West, the car hit the retaining wall and guard rail, then slid through the grass and onto I-40 West.
Dash camera video showed the stolen car missing the front of an approaching RV by only a few feet. The car came to a rest against the center median with all the air bags deployed.
Video then shows authorities approaching the smoking vehicle.
On body camera video, you can hear the officers yelling at the passenger inside the vehicle, heavily obscured by air bags.
“Show me your hands; show me your hands!” the officers shouted.
One of the officers went to the driver’s side window, gun extended, and yelled into the car.
“If you make any false moves, I promise you it will not go well,” the officer said.
With multiple officers standing at the ready, a deputy punched out the glass. It’s then that Dalton surrendered and began emerging from the car.
“Crawl out. Crawl out. Take your seatbelt off…right hand…come out,” a deputy said.
Once secure, the teen told officers that there was a loaded gun in the car.
Capt. Rodney King with the WCSO said approaching a speeding car involved in a murder and being unable to see the occupant in the car is a nerve-wracking moment for any officer
“It was very nerve-wracking with a wrecked car and knowing this car was in connection with a homicide. There was a handgun in the car on the front floor board on the driver’s side.
It was loaded. It was great police work from all three agencies to get in that area and take this guy off the street,” King said.
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Dalton was charged with evading arrest, reckless driving, speeding, simple possession, driving on a revoked or suspended license, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
News 2 has learned that Metro police seized the stolen car and the hand gun to test in their case.
Dalton’s bond was set at $68,500.
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