The McCracken County Sheriff's Office says deputies attempted to stop a vehicle shortly before 3 a.m. in the area of Cairo Road and Coleman Road for traffic violations.
Deputies said 38-year-old Jerrick Carruthers of Paducah intentionally rammed a marked McCracken County Sheriff’s Department vehicle.
A 45- minute pursuit ensued. During the chase, deputies said they saw Carruthers throw drugs from the vehicle. At one point, a female passenger jumped from the moving vehicle. She claimed to not know the identity of the driver. She received minor injuries.
Paducah Police officers used spike strips and deflated Carruther's tires. He continued driving until the front of the vehicle caught fire near 32nd and Harrison Streets in Paducah. Carruthers jumped from the vehicle while it was still in motion and ran through several yards before he was apprehended by deputies and police officers in the 3100 block of Harrison Street.
Carruthers was charged with fleeing, reckless driving, possession of marijuana, speeding, criminal mischeif, wanton endangerment, resisting arrest and disregarding a stop sign.
Deputies said Carruthers is a convicted felon and is currently out of jail on bond on trafficking in methamphetamine charges out of Lyon County.
