TBI: Man faces charges after April shooting injures Johnson County deputy
MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn.
(WJHL) — A man from North Carolina faces charges after authorities reported he shot and wounded a deputy following a pursuit in Johnson County last month.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) revealed Friday that agents had secured warrants against Joey Allen Ponce, 34, charging him with attempted murder and other offenses.
According to the TBI, on April 22, Johnson County deputies identified a vehicle matching a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) alert from Watauga County, N.C.
The vehicle was driven by Ponce, who was wanted for his involvement in an armed robbery that occurred earlier that day. When deputies initiated a traffic stop, Ponce allegedly refused to stop and a pursuit ensued.
He then got out of the vehicle in the 5000 block of Highway 421 and fired shots at deputies, according to the TBI. Ponce allegedly ran through a gravel lot and fired more shots, striking and injuring a deputy. Deputies returned fire and struck Ponce, who was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Ponce was served with the warrants upon his release from the hospital Friday and was taken to the Carter County Jail, where he was booked on a $750,000 bond.
He faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of evading arrest, one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and one count of possession of stolen property, according to the TBI.
Source: internewscast.com
