NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Osborne) -- A Metro Officer died early Thursday morning in a fiery crash near Nissan Stadium.
The Tennessean reports that Officer John Anderson died when his cruiser was struck at about 3 a.m. at the intersection of Woodland Street and Interstate Drive. The officer’s car was pushed into a utility pole by the force of the crash and then caught fire. He died at the scene.
Police say Officer Anderson was struck by a 17-year-old driver who was fleeing an earlier encounter with another officer. However, the teen was reportedly not being pursued by police at the time of the crash.
The teen was taken for medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and then placed in juvenile court custody. WTVF-TV says she has been charged with vehicular homicide, evading arrest, and driving on a suspended license.
Officer Anderson is the fourth Tennessee law enforcement officer to die on duty this year. Nashville last mourned a fallen officer in 2017 when Officer Eric Mumaw died while attempting to save a drowning woman in the Cumberland River.