A 41-year-old woman from Dunlap faces almost 20 charges in connection with a chase and several crashes. The driver, Rachel Lynn Hicks, struck 5 civilian vehicles and 2 law enforcement vehicles before officers ultimately stopped her. She led officers on a miles-long chase after her first accident on Highway 27, which left her truck with two flat tires. The chase ended after she drove the wrong way down I-24, striking several more vehicles, some of which had children aboard. All drivers who were struck say they were ‘terrified’ to see the oncoming pickup.

This all began shortly after 5 p.m. when dispatchers learned a red pickup truck had hit a silver sedan in the 1400 block of Highway 27 south.

Just a short time later, dispatchers heard of another crash involving a red pickup, this time on the 600 block of Highway 27, and told officers the truck was traveling with two flat tires.

Deputies located and tried to stop the truck, but it kept going, reaching speeds up to 60 miles per hour, weaving across all 3 lanes of traffic and “with no regard for other vehicles on the highway,” according to the affidavit.

As the driver approached I-24, deputies got permission to use a PIT maneuver to stop the truck.

At that point, the truck struck another vehicle and drove westbound on the eastbound lanes of I-24.

Then it hit a black Nissan Rogue head-on, causing the Nissan to hit a semi truck.

The affidavit says Hicks continued the wrong way onto the interstate, and deputies used their vehicles to pin the truck to the median barrier.

A deputy asked Hicks if she had been drinking after noticing the odor of alcohol, and Hicks replied she had two 20-ounce bottles before she got behind the wheel.