An armed robbery outside of Boone led to a chase and an officer being shot in Tennessee this week.
The robbery happened at the Quality Plus west of Boone, near Vilas, where deputies said the suspect pulled up to the drive-thru window and robbed the business at gunpoint.
Deputies in Johnson County, Tennessee, later spotted the suspect’s SUV at the state line and that’s where the chase started.
A shootout then happened seven miles away at a business in Mountain City, deputies said.
Channel 9’s Dave Faherty was in Tennessee Wednesday where he learned one deputy involved was shot inside his patrol car at the Maymead plant along Highway 421.
Investigators said that as the chase ended, the suspect – 41-year-old Joey Allen Ponce – got out of the car and began shooting at officers.
About 10 to 15 minutes away from the Quality Plus and just over the Tennessee state line, Justin Bradley was working at Sharpie’s Cafe when the chase started. A Johnson County deputy had just finished lunch and spotted the suspect’s SUV.
“It’s crazy, this is such a small area for something like that to happen. It’s just crazy,” Bradley said.
The chase ended about seven miles away at the Maymead Plant, along Highway 421 in Mountain City. Deputies say the suspect, Joey Ponce, fired into at least two patrol cars, hitting a deputy in the leg.
Tamela Goodwin is helping deliver rock from the plant to repair roads after Hurricane Helene, and she saw the huge police response Tuesday.
“They risk their lives every day for people out here, and ignorance -- I don’t know, it takes a lot to be a cop,” Goodwin said.
An eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, shared a video of deputies escorting the injured officer from Tennessee to Watauga Medical Center.
That deputy from Tennessee has since been released from the hospital after being shot in the leg.
Deputies near Boone did return fire and as of noon Wednesday, the suspect remained hospitalized in Johnson City.
Check wsoctv.com for updates.
WATCH BELOW: Cameras catch thief who targeted firefighters’ cars during wildfires
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
