Murfreesboro, TN - What began as a routine traffic stop turned into a tense foot chase and emergency medical response around 5:00 o'clock Monday (6/16/2025) afternoon at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Middle Tennessee Boulevard. According to the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Chris Danckwerth initiated the stop, during which two passengers in the vehicle—identified as 27-year-old Hunter Van Caffey and 36-year-old Desiree Pett, both of Ferrell Hollow Road in Readyville—suddenly fled on foot.
Foot Pursuit Began
Danckwerth, who is assigned to the department’s STOP/DVI (Strategies and Tactics for Opioid Prevention/Drug Violence Initiative), pursued Caffey through afternoon traffic, eventually tackling and detaining him in the roadway.
Meanwhile, Murfreesboro Police located Petty nearby on Diana Street after receiving reports of a suspicious person in the area.
While deputies were investigating the incident, both Caffey and Petty reportedly began overdosing. Paramedics from Rutherford County EMS responded promptly, providing medical treatment at the scene before transporting the pair to Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital. They were later released.
Charges
Caffey faces counts of evading arrest, resisting arrest, and possession of drug paraphernalia, and is being held on a $3,500 bond at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. Petty was charged with felony destruction of evidence and evading arrest, with bond set at $8,000.
Both are scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on July 16, 2025.
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Connection to previous story that has photos of the foot pursuit
