RCSO Investigation Shuts-Down I-24 Sunday PM

Jan 15, 2023 at 06:30 pm by WGNS


Revised story from RCSO: 

No explosives were found after an out-of-state driver reported possible explosives in his vehicle Sunday evening on Interstate 24, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The driver was found parked on I-24 near the Buchanan Road exit.

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Sheriff’s Sgt. Brandon Cisek said the man indicated there might be explosives in his vehicle so the interstate was closed as a precaution. The interstate reopened about 10 p.m.

Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Bomb Squad responded and found the information was unsubstantiated.

 Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh thanked drivers for their patience during the investigation.

“Our primary concern was for the safety of our travelers and our first responders,” Fitzhugh said.

Emergency Medical Services paramedics took the driver to Ascension St. Thomas Hospital for a medical examination. He had a Florida driver’s license and drove a vehicle with a Colorado license plate.

Sheriff’s deputies, Murfreesboro Police and Tennessee Department of Transportation re-directed traffic from South Church Street to Buchanan Road during the shut-down.

Fitzhugh thanked THP’s Bomb Squad for their investigation and Murfreesboro Police, TDOT and the deputies for their assistance in handling the traffic.

Original story (below): 

(MURFREESBORO)  Both directions of I-24 were shut-down near the Buchanan Road exit (mm 89) Sunday evening (1/15/2023), as the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office (RCSO) received information that caused deputies to take quick action for "the public's safety". 

T-DOT notes that what is described as "police activity", reportedly began at 4:58PM (Central Time) at the westbound lane of I-24 (traveling toward Nashville) at the 89 mile marker (Buchanan Rd. exit). 

T-DOT reported earlier that the I-24 on-ramps at South Church Street, Joe B. Jackson Parkway and Buchanan Road were all three closed for a period of time while police completed their investigation. 

At 5:45PM Sunday evening, the "police investigation" extended into Coffee County to mile marker 97 (Beechgrove exit). No lanes were blocked in the latter part of the investigation. 

Traffic Flowing Again

In the 6:00PM hour both lanes of traffic on I-24 appeared to again be flowing. 

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