BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. – A confirmed member of the Aryan Nations white supremacist group who was wanted in connection with the shooting of a Tennessee police officer was captured early Saturday morning, police said.
Ronnie Lucas Wilson was put on Tennessee’s Top 10 Most Wanted list on Friday after authorities identified him as the suspect who opened fire and wounded a veteran Knoxville police officer during a traffic stop Thursday evening, reported ABC News.
According to law enforcement authorities, the wanted man was found in an abandoned residence in neighboring Blount County.
“CAPTURED! Wilson was just now located in Blount County,” tweeted the Knoxville Police Department at 3:37 a.m. Saturday.
Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said in a statement later Saturday morning, “Wilson is receiving treatment at a local hospital for injuries he sustained when he jumped out of a window of the residence.”
Wilson was not alone. Kristin Denise King, 31, was also found with him in the house, yet is was unclear whether she’s facing charges. Blount County Fire Department also responded to extinguish a fire that started in the residence.
Wilson, 31, is believed to have jumped out of his car during a traffic stop Thursday and without warning opened fire multiple times on Officer Jay Williams, who had pulled him over about 8:30 p.m., authorities said.
CAPTURED! Wilson is now in custody. He was just now located in Blount County. pic.twitter.com/hcA9miYogw
— Knoxville Police TN (@Knoxville_PD) January 13, 2018
“What the community should know is that this individual is armed and dangerous,” Knoxville Police Chief David B. Rausch told reporters Thursday night. “I would advise people if they see him not to approach him. If he took a shot at an officer, he wouldn’t hesitate to take a shot at anyone else.”
Rausch described Wilson as a known member of the Aryan Nations. Moreover, at the time of the encounter with Williams, he was wanted on a probation violation for aggravated assault — a case that had initially charged as an attempted murder.
During the gunfire Thursday, Williams, a 14-year veteran of the Knoxville Police Department was shot in the shoulder. He is expected to make a full recovery, said Rausch.
At the time he was pulled over, Wilson was driving a black 1970s model Chevrolet Nova with a red stripe on its hood, Rausch said. The car has since been found abandoned.
Before his capture, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added Wilson to its most wanted list and offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to his arrest. It is unknown if the award money will be collected by a tipster.