The Tennessee Highway Patrol said it is working closely with Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston as the investigation continues into an incident in which a vehicle speeding away from a trooper ran into a woman on Bonny Oaks Drive and killed her.
The Patrol said, "On Oct.r 26 at 1:39 a.m., a Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) trooper was patrolling on State Highway 153 in Hamilton County when he observed a 2016 Jeep Cherokee traveling at an excessive speed.
The trooper confirmed the speed to be 90 mph in a 55 zone. As the trooper initiated his patrol vehicle’s blue lights and siren, the driver of the Jeep refused to pull over, leading THP on a two-minute pursuit. The driver exited from State Highway 153 onto Bonny Oaks Drive, ran a red light and crashed into a 2013 Ford Explorer driven by Tara Reese. As a result of the crash, Tara Reese, 58 of Chattanooga, Tennessee was pronounced deceased on the scene. After the crash, the driver failed to render any type of aid, exited the vehicle and fled. After a brief foot pursuit, the trooper apprehended the suspect who was wearing a black ski mask.
"A loaded 9mm handgun was discovered on the ground beside the driver’s door of the Jeep. The suspect provided a false name and date of birth and was booked in the Hamilton County Jail. The suspect’s true identity was later determined to be Darryll Hughes-Wright, 25, of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hughes-Wright had previous active warrants for aggravated robbery, accessory after the fact, evading arrest and possession of a firearm with the intent to go armed.
"Darryll Hughes-Wright was charged with speeding, failure to yield resulting in death, felony evading resulting in death, evading and resisting arrest, vehicular homicide, felony reckless endangerment, felony possession of firearm, felon in possession of firearm, failure to exercise due care, red light violation, failure to maintain lane, identity theft and driving on a suspended driver’s license."