An off duty East Ridge Police Officer, Timothy Allison was traveling northbound on Wednesday around 6:15 p.m. in his personal vehicle in the 700 block of Marley Way. He observed a dark blue Chevrolet Cruze traveling southbound on Marley Way at a very high rate of speed on the residential street.
Officer Allison advised that the vehicle was traveling at such a high rate of that the driver almost struck his vehicle head on which forced him to swerve off the roadway and onto a resident’s driveway to avoid being struck.
Officer Allison turned around on the vehicle in an attempt to obtain the registration plate so that he could issue a BOLO alert to surrounding jurisdictions. As he got behind the Chevrolet Cruze, the driver stuck a black semi-automatic pistol out of the window which was rolled down. Officer Allison advised that the firearm had a mounted light attached to the it. The driver then partially exited the vehicle and turned towards Officer Allison while pointing the firearm in his direction.
Officer Allison obtained a Tennessee registration plate and he began following the vehicle while making contact with Hamilton County Dispatch over the phone. The vehicle was last seen traveling northbound on South Germantown Road.
Hamilton County Dispatch provided the registered owner’s name and address to police. The registered owner of the vehicle was Quanterria Hughes and the registered address was 701 North Parkdale Avenue Apartment #A in Chattanooga.
East Ridge Police Officers accompanied by Chattanooga Police Officers immediately relocated to 701 Parkdale Avenue Apartment #A and located the dark blue Chevrolet Cruze displaying the registration plate observed by Office Allison parked in the yard.
While on scene, the registered owner of the vehicle arrived and advised that the Chevrolet Cruze was her vehicle; however, she said that her husband, William Hughes Wright, also drives the vehicle.
Mr. Wright was contacted over the phone and he walked to 701 North Parkdale Avenue on foot. Officer Allison positively identified William Hughes Wright as the driver of the vehicle who pointed a firearm at him. Wright was detained by police and issued his Miranda Warning. Mr. Wright advised police that he does reside at 701 North Parkdale Avenue Apartment #A with Quanterria Hughes and he further advised that there was a Glock firearm that sits on their nightstand in the bedroom.
Mrs. Hughes denied consent to search her residence, citing that she did not want officers to confiscate the firearm or marijuana that were in her apartment. A search warrant was obtained and served for the vehicle and the residence. The firearm was located inside the apartment along with narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
Officers ran a check on the firearm and determined is had been reported stolen in Chesapeake, Va. William Wright was charged with aggravated assault and theft under $1,000.
There were no injuries in the incident.