A police officer was critically injured Friday night after two law enforcement vehicles collided while helping escort Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade through Maryville, Tennessee, local officials said.
The crash, occurring roughly 17 miles south of Knoxville, involved a Tennessee state trooper and a Maryville Police Department motorcycle officer, according to a statement released by the city. Both were part of the security operation supporting the vice president’s movements connected to a fundraiser at Blackberry Farm resort in Walland.
One of the ambulances assigned to the motorcade immediately stopped at the scene and began treating the injured officer, CBS News reported, citing Jason Pack, director of communications for the Tennessee Department of Safety. The city later confirmed on social media the officer was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and remains in critical condition.
Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp asked the community to keep the officer and their family in mind as they await updates. “We ask everyone to keep the officer, family and the medical staff in your prayers,” his statement reads.
Initial information from state officials indicated the trooper involved in the collision had not been transported, but the city later clarified that both the trooper and the motorcycle officer were taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. Authorities did not immediately release the trooper’s condition, and neither individual has been publicly identified at the time of publication.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
Katherine Pierce, the Secret Service’s resident agent in charge in Knoxville, said the agency was monitoring the situation but emphasized the vice president’s motorcade was not disrupted. “The safety and movement of our protectees were not impacted by this incident,” Pierce said, according to the outlet.
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