19-year-old driver cited in 130 mph police chase before Highway 321 crash, passenger ejected

What This Story Is About

• Deputies said a driver identified as Michael Ghaster fled a traffic stop in a Nissan Rogue and traveled toward Blount County. After about 15 miles, the vehicle ran a red light at Robert C. Jackson Drive and crashed into another vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

Why It Matters

• Deputies said the driver exceeded 130 mph at times and turned off the vehicle’s exterior lights during the pursuit.

What Happens Next

• Ghaster faces charges including evading arrest, vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, simple possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with several traffic-related offenses, according to the sheriff’s office.

For Context

• The Nissan matched the description of a vehicle reportedly involved in an earlier incident at McGee Square Apartments in Lenoir City, the sheriff’s office said.

Catch Up

• Deputies said the Nissan initially stopped at a boat ramp near Highway 444 before fleeing. Investigators later recovered suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia at the crash scene, according to the sheriff’s office.

LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WVLT) - A pursuit that began in Loudon County ended in a crash on Highway 321 after a driver reached speeds exceeding 130 mph, according to the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the driver, identified as 19-year-old Michael Ghaster, and a passenger who was ejected from his vehicle were taken to an area hospital. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash sustained minor injuries.

What happened?

The pursuit began when a deputy attempted to stop a Nissan Rogue on Highway 321, the sheriff’s office said. The vehicle matched the description of one reportedly involved in an earlier incident at McGee Square Apartments in Lenoir City, where an occupant allegedly threatened to shoot residents and was believed to potentially be armed.

According to the sheriff’s office, the Nissan initially stopped at a boat ramp near Highway 444 before fleeing. Deputies said the vehicle traveled into oncoming traffic on Highway 321, narrowly missing another vehicle, and continued toward Blount County.

The sheriff’s office said the driver exceeded 130 mph at times and turned off the vehicle’s exterior lights. After about 15 miles, the Nissan ran a red light at Robert C. Jackson Drive and crashed into another vehicle, according to deputies.

Charges and investigation

Investigators recovered suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia at the crash scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Ghaster faces charges including evading arrest, vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, simple possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with several traffic-related offenses, according to the sheriff’s office.