After two motorcyclists rammed through barricades at the RC Cola-Moon Pie Festival in Tennessee last weekend—one striking and severely injuring a runner on the race course—local police were searching for the perpetrators. Cameras helped catch the two men nearby shortly after they fled the scene, and both of them have now been arrested.
Fox 17 Nashville reports that 30-year-old Michael Lee Grimmett was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with felony evading arrest and reckless endangerment, and 31-year-old James Nicholas Barrett was arrested on Thursday and handed a laundry list of charges including aggravated assault, felony evading arrest, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident with injury, reckless driving, and improper registration. Barrett made bond and was released hours after his arrest.
In a statement, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office thanked the other local sheriff’s offices for their assistance, and wrote, “We would also like to thank the public for all information and assistance that helped lead to the identification and apprehension of these two individuals.”
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The senior runner who was struck and flung into the air, was taken to a nearby hospital shortly after the attack, and was said to be in stable condition.
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Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she’s written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner’s World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
