TBI Releases Name of Person Killed During Pursuit

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released the identity of the man who led law enforcement officers on a pursuit from Smithville to Sparta Thursday before losing his life in an officer involved shooting.
The deceased individual has been identified as 33 year old Michael Zennie Dial II from Clarksville, TN.
Meanwhile, All three White County officers injured during the pursuit have been released from the hospital.
The incident began at around 4:30 p.m. with an attempted traffic stop in the City of Smithville. Smithville Police Officers tried to pull over a pickup truck hauling a trailer. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop, and the chase by Smithville Police at speeds up to 75 miles per hour continued from the city to about one mile into White County where the pursuit was terminated. Four city patrol units reportedly gave chase. A DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy, who was following Smithville Police in support, ended his involvement in the pursuit at the county line. White County authorities later picked up the pursuit from Highway 70 to north on Highway 111 in Sparta, following the vehicle. The driver of the truck crashed into several of the law enforcement vehicles, hitting them on the side, and from behind.
At some point, the tires of the trailer appeared to have flattened, dumping some of the items from the trailer into the median. As the driver continued down the road, two officers, one with the White County Sheriff’s Office , and one with the Sparta Police Department, fired shots toward the truck. The truck, still hauling the trailer, veered off the highway, went down an embankment, and lodged in the tree line. The driver of the vehicle died.
Three officers, one from Sparta Police Department two from the White County Sheriff’s Office, sustained injuries consistent with being in a vehicle crash and were transported to the hospital.
TBI Special Agents are continuing to investigate and interview witnesses, and the case remains active and ongoing. At the conclusion of this investigation, the investigative case file will be turned over to the District Attorney General for his office’s review.