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Kidnapping suspect accused of threatening bystander with knife after crashing on I-40

Kidnapping suspect accused of threatening bystander with knife after crashing on I 40

A kidnapping suspect from Nashville was caught Monday afternoon in Mt. Juliet after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended when his car ran off Interstate 40 East. Santos Velasquez, 19, now faces a long list of new charges.

Velasquez was wanted in Rutherford County on multiple violent offenses, among them aggravated assault, kidnapping, and sexual battery. A policeman who had spotted him speeding on the interstate gave chase. Shortly thereafter, Velasquez had sideswiped a truck and trailer then lost control before wrecking his car.

According to authorities, after the accident, Velasquez supposedly attempted to flee on foot from the scene where he also reportedly threatened a spectator at knife point. However, officers quickly caught him. A 16-year-old passenger of the vehicle remained unhurt and was cooperative with the law enforcers.

The Mt. Juliet Police praised their responding officers, emergency communication dispatchers, and witnesses for the swift action that went down, saying, “The Department is thankful that no one was seriously injured during this incident and commends the efforts of those involved in bringing this dangerous individual into custody.”

At the time of arrest, Velasquez already had an outstanding warrant against him for several counts of serial burglary and evading arrest from Nashville. Now he has a total of several other charges he will face, which include the felony evading, reckless endangerment, child endangerment, aggravated assault, and driving on a revoked license.