Robert Carl Allen Jr. was captured just before 5 PM this evening in Pleasant View (Photo: CCSO)
A welfare check on Bandy Road earlier this morning turned into a long day for law enforcement.
Just before 11AM, Cheatham County deputies were dispatched to an address on Bandy Road to make a welfare check on a male subject, later identified as Robert Carl Allen Jr., sleeping in a car. When deputies approached the vehicle, they noticed that the driver had what appeared to be an AR-15 in the front seat. Once backup arrived, deputies approached the vehicle. When they woke him, Allen started his car and took off through a yard heading straight toward Sgt. Matthew Massingill.
Deputies then initiated a high-speed pursuit that was eventually terminated for public safety reasons, and warrants were issued in its place.
Later in the day, local agencies were notified by Metro Nashville that they were searching for Allen after he crashed at the intersection of Gray’s Point Road and Little Marrowbone Road. Around 3:00PM, the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office was notified that Metro had spotted Allen and needed emergency assistance, as he had begun heading westbound on I24.
The CCSO and Pleasant View Police Department were kept updated of Allen's location and erratic driving by Metro Air One.
Authorities were able to catch up to Allen as he was getting off at exit 19, turning into Robertson County. When an attempt to deploy spike strips resulted in Allen swerving toward Deputy Eric Dube of the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office, the situation became even more dire.
After the unsuccessful encounter, Allen was able to get back to Maxey Road and I24 eastbound where he was, once again, driving dangerously at a high rate of speed on the right shoulder. Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office were waiting at exit 24 where, in an effort to avoid another round of spike strips, Allen ran off the roadway and crashed his car after going through the right-of-way fence. His vehicle caught fire, which then caused the field around his car to also ignite.
Fleeing from the crash scene on foot, Allen ran into the woods parallel to the interstate, and was able to evade arrest for a little over an hour before he was located and taken into custody without further incident.
According to Lt. Ken Miller with the CCSO, Allen is currently charged with the following:
Driving on a Suspended License (misdemeanor)
Reckless Endangerment (felony)
Evading Arrest (by Motor Vehicle (felony)
Assault against a First Responder (felony)
Allen is currently being held awaiting a bond hearing.
"The Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank the many agencies that came together to help during this incident," Miller says. "This incident, in totality, spanned approximately six hours and involved dozens of deputies and officers from all of our adjoining agencies, and was successfully accomplished due to the professionalism and high caliber of all involved. There were no injuries to the public or suspect, and one officer suffered a slight injury to his foot," Miller says.
