CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A man has been charged after ramming his vehicle into a vehicle with a family of five inside, as well as a Clarksville Police Department patrol car.
Police said they received a road rage complaint Dec. 23 around noon about a man in a pickup truck who followed a family of five in their vehicle from Paris Landing to Clarksville.
The driver of the pickup, later identified as 63-year-old Herbert Barry Clark, was behind the family’s car flashing his headlights and making hand gestures for them to pull over.
The complainant called 911 and officers arranged to meet the family at the intersection of Woodale Dr. and Lafayette Rd. Clark’s vehicle was still behind them at the time.
Officers told Clark to park his truck and get out of the vehicle. Instead, Clark put the truck in drive and accelerated, spinning the wheels uncontrollably and hitting the family’s vehicle. Clark then placed the pickup in reverse, smashing into a patrol car and knocking an officer to the ground.
Police said the officer would have most likely been run over if it had not been for the placement of the patrol cars at the scene. Clark then fled.
Officers pursued the pickup, but called off the pursuit because his reckless driving was a danger to the public.
Clark was arrested later in the day by Paris Sheriff’s Office and charged with DUI and evading arrest. After being released on Dec. 24 he was brought back to Clarksville and booked into the Montgomery County Jail. He was charged with aggravated assault, reckless driving, evading arrest, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of an accident. His bond was set at $50,000.
Clark’s case was bound over to circuit court on Jan. 2 and he remains in jail.