New details in Monday chase, crash
Mar. 4—Authorities continue to piece together a series of events that apparently started with a shooting in Tennessee and ended in a wreck in Limestone County that injured two people.
Giles County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee said deputies and investigators responded to a call of shots fired on Cedar Hurst Lane, east of Pulaski. Officials said the suspect left the scene in a blue Scion after shooting his victim once in the upper thigh.
However, an attempt to stop the Scion prompted a chase on U.S. 31, according to GCSO. The driver, 25-year-old Adam Christian Taylor, eventually made his way southbound toward Alabama, tossing items out of the vehicle and driving erratically, GCSO said.
"The Tennessee Highway Patrol was alerted and spike strips were deployed in the area of Exit 1 on (U.S.) 31," GCSO said in a release Tuesday. "Taylor swerved to miss these strips, exiting the roadway, returning back to (U.S.) 31 and exiting southbound on Interstate 65."
At the state line, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Limestone County Sheriff's Office took over the pursuit, which reached speeds of at least 125 mph as Taylor continued toward Athens, according to reports. Taylor attempted to get back on U.S. 31 at Exit 354, but when he realized LCSO had also laid out spike strips, he turned and began driving into oncoming traffic, soon colliding into another vehicle.
While that accident proved to be the most damaging for the Scion and ended the chase, it was not the only collision during Taylor's attempt to escape arrest. Police in Elkton, Tennessee, have warrants for aggravated assault, reckless driving, vandalism and leaving the scene related to Taylor striking a vehicle on U.S. 31 near the Elkton Boat Ramp.
In Limestone, Taylor faces charges of felon in possession of a firearm, speeding, reckless driving, failing to signal, illegal lane changing and attempt to elude in a manner causing injury. The vehicle he collided with on the interstate ramp was driven by an elderly couple, according to GSCO, and LCSO reported Taylor and the driver of the other vehicle were taken to Athens-Limestone Hospital for treatment and released that day.
The shooting victim was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment, where he was reportedly in stable condition. GCSO said they have obtained warrants for first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault, evading arrest, felon in possession of a handgun and reckless endangerment related to the shooting and chase.
Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely said the victim and Taylor had met on a dating app but were using pictures of other individuals in their exchange. Blakely said Taylor told investigators that when he realized the person he was meeting didn't match the profile pictures, he assumed an ex-partner had set him up and shot at the victim before fleeing the scene.
Court records show Taylor was on probation after pleading guilty to a separate assault in Madison County last year. In that case, Taylor attacked the victim with a claw hammer. He was arrested in October 2018 and indicted on one count of second-degree assault in January 2020. Two months later, Taylor pleaded guilty to the charge and was given a suspended five-year sentence pending completion of two years on probation.
Taylor remained Wednesday in the Limestone County Jail.
