SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — Officers across multiple agencies flushed an Alabama man out of the woods near a Spring Hill neighborhood.
It all began when a Williamson County deputy pulled over a car with an Alabama license plate on Interstate 65 Saturday for following too closely. Hours later, it became a full-scale manhunt complete with a K9 and a helicopter.
Dash camera and body camera footage helped piece the case together. When the Williamson County deputy approached the vehicle, he reportedly smelled marijuana. But before the deputy could even get to the window, the driver took off.
The deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) didn't chase the man, who was later identified as 34-year-old Tyler Sales of Decatur, Alabama. However, the same car was quickly spotted in a neighborhood off Duplex Road by the Spring Hill Police Department (SHPD).
That's where officers said Sales jumped out of his moving car and ran.
SHPD officers and WCSO deputies armed with tactical weapons set up a perimeter. A K9 worked along the tree-line by the neighborhood and a helicopter hovered overhead. With the help of citizens calling 911 and reporting the suspect's movements, officers found Sales hiding in a drainage ditch.
Footage showed multiple officers, with guns drawn, getting Sales to surrender peacefully. Once arrested, Sales chatted freely with the officers. He apologized to the officers for running, adding he was scared and thinking he might have had an outstanding warrant.
"You just made this a way bigger deal than it needed to be," an officer said in the body camera footage.
"I know," Sales replied. "My cousin just got killed in Decatur not too long ago — sorry."
Officers who claimed they smelled marijuana during the traffic stop asked him if he discarded any contraband. Sales denied having anything illegal in the vehicle.
"Like I said, I thought it was an old fine," Sales added. "I was scared. I didn't want — I'm still going to jail — but I didn't want to go to jail, man. I apologize for it. I should've just pulled the car over."
According to the Williamson County jail, Sales bonded out that same day, posting a $21,500 bond. He was charged with evading arrest and driving on a revoked license, his fourth offense.
According to a May 2019 article from News 2's North Alabama sister station, WHNT, Sales ran from Morgan County authorities during a traffic stop. WHNT added Sales led them on a chase before jumping out of a still-moving vehicle and barging into a home. An 8-year-old girl, whose family was in the yard at the time, was reportedly inside the house.
The vehicle reportedly rolled into a brick mailbox, destroying it. Sales was charged with multiple felonies. On Tuesday, Morgan County court authorities told News 2 the burglary charges associated with the 2019 incident were dismissed.
