Nashville, TN: A decommissioned MNPD Sergeant Donald Barnes turned himself in for booking on two felony aggravated assault charges. These warrants are related to his driving into an I-40 construction zone on March 7 and causing workers to be afraid.
While Barnes, 53, was off-duty driving his own SUV on Interstate 40 east near the Donelson Pike exit at 7:30 p.m. on March 7, he proceeded into a blocked area despite the presence of traffic cones and barrels. Barnes is a veteran of the police force who has served for 26 years.
It has been stated that the construction workers waved their arms in an attempt to attract the attention of the vehicle and guide him back to the free lanes of the interstate. According to the allegations, Barnes continued driving forward until he came to a stop with construction workers in front of him.
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After a verbal altercation between Barnes and one of the workers, Barnes allegedly lunged his vehicle forward twice, making contact with one of the workers on both occasions. These incidents are believed to have occurred. Barnes was spotted by the workers holding a pistol across his stomach and pointing it toward the driver’s door, where one of the workers was standing on the outside.
During this time, Barnes identified himself as a Metro police officer. After some time, the workers eventually moved away from the SUV, and Barnes drove through the remaining portion of the construction zone and onto Donelson Pike.
The staff took note of the license plate number, which was then communicated to the police department. The following day, on March 8, Barnes was deactivated, which means that his power as a police officer was revoked, and an investigation was initiated.
The West Precinct Patrol was Barnes’s assigned division at the time.