Martin police assist US Marshals with apprehension of Texas fugitive

An alleged fugitive from Texas was shot by federal agents before being taken into custody Thursday in downtown Martin.
The pursuit ended on Church Street in Martin when 44-year-old Marcus Dwayne Thompson of Texas was taken into custody.
Officers from the Martin Police Department were assisting officers from the U.S. Marshal Service shortly before noon Thursday when they became involved in the short vehicle pursuit which ended downtown a brief time later. Marshals had been attempting to serve a fugitive warrant when they located the suspect on University Street.
Martin police reported the suspect collided his vehicle, a gold sport-utility vehicle, with another vehicle at the intersection of University Street and Skyhawk Parkway and then left the scene.
With officers in pursuit, at some point, shots were fired at the suspect by federal agents after the suspect allegedly attempted to run over the agents with his vehicle. The Weakley County Press reported at least three shots were fired.
Officers pursued the suspect eastbound on University Street and eventually converged on him at a residence on Church Street, according to a Martin Police Department press release.
Thompson was taken into custody and transported to Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin for treatment of his injuries. He was reportedly in critical condition.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investi-gation will conduct the investigation of the incident. Police said the TBI and the U.S. Marshal Service will provide further information as the investigation continues.
The TBI had blocked off the busy intersection near McDonald’s in Martin Thursday afternoon and agents were taking photographs of the area and gathering evidence with the use of a K-9 unit.
Today, the TBI is asking anyone in the community who has either video or photos of the original accident scene to contact the agency at 1-800-TBI-FIND (824-3463). The TBI and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the shooting incident and will turn the case file over to the district attorney general for review, upon completion.
Authorities told The Weakley County Press that Thompson was convicted in Texas in 2002 of indecency with child sexual contact and ordered to serve two years. In May 2011, he was reported to have absconded from his sex offender registry requirements in Texas. He was a construction worker.

Published in The Messenger 3.23.12