(La Vergne, Tenn.) Last Tuesday night (3/9/2021), La Vergne Police Officers attempted to pull over a driver on Murfreesboro Road for excessive speeding. The driver allegedly fled, leading officers on a pursuit. The suspect reportedly ran a red light at Waldron Road and Murfreesboro Road, crashing into an SUV before flipping and catching his vehicle on fire.

Police confirmed that the driver was trapped inside the burning vehicle, but was safely cut out of the car by La Vergne Firefighters. The driver suffered serious injuries and was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center. The suspect is now facing a slew of serious charges after allegedly leading police on that short chase.

As for the driver of the SUV that was caught in the middle of the pursuit, he was not injured.

Police have now released the suspect’s name. He is identified as 43-year-old LaDonte Smith. He faces charges for evading arrest, DUI, driving on a revoked license and reckless endangerment.

Smith is reportedly lucky to be alive, despite the charges that he now faces. The quick actions by La Vergne officers to extinguish the fire and the extrication by La Vergne Firefighters likely saved the Smith’s life. 

The 43-year-old remains hospitalized at this time and has yet to be officially charged. As of Thursday (3/18/21) at 11:45AM, Vanderbilt Medical Center confirmed Smith was listed as being in "STABLE" condition.