NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - A Metro Police officer shot a man who struck the officer with his car early Saturday morning. The incident started along 5th Avenue and Broadway just after midnight. Police say someone flagged them down and told them a man was waiving a gun and threatening people from inside his car.
When officers approached the suspect's Chrysler 300, he drove off and nearly hit pedestrians. Police say he hit a patrol car and at least three civilian vehicles.
The driver also struck Sergeant Kris Delap, who then fired shots at the vehicle, hitting the suspect.
The suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Pasquala Walls, who is from Memphis.
Walls drove down to the Exxon on 12th Avenue and Broadway, got out of his car, and ran away on foot. A group of citizens chased after him and Walls ended up falling to the ground after a struggle with the group, police say. That's when police got to the scene learned Walls had in fact been shot.
Police recovered a loaded nine-millimeter pistol from Walls' car that had an extended magazine with 26 rounds. The gun was in the front floor board of the car.
"This man chose not to stop for police, chose to drive off recklessly, nearly striking pedestrians and striking a police officer," said MNPD spokesperson Kris Mumford. "It's a very dangerous situation and miraculously no pedestrians were struck."
Delap, a 26 year veteran of the department, was also admitted to Vanderbilt for treatment. Mumford said the injuries are concerning but not life-threatening.
Delap currently works with Metro's Central precinct as a community coordinator sergeant and was working with the precinct's new entertainment district initiative at the time of the incident.
Mumford tells News4 that Walls has a criminal history in Nashville, and that he had two outstanding warrants -- one for aggravated assault and another for evading arrest.
Metro Police notified TBI of the incident, however TBI tells News4 they are not investigating at this time.
