⏱ 2 min read
Jashon Tatum, a 29-year-old felon on supervised release, led Columbus police on a wild high-speed chase in August 2024, crashing into another vehicle and attempting to flee on foot before being caught with a machine gun conversion device and a stash of narcotics. The chaos unfolded on I-71 when Tatum, behind the wheel of a Mercedes Benz, refused to pull over for officers who had tracked him down using a phone ping. He had active felony warrants out for his arrest.
As Tatum drove erratically, a police helicopter was deployed to track his movements. He eventually exited the highway near 11th Avenue, striking another car in the process. After the crash, Tatum tried to escape on foot, throwing items as he ran, but was quickly pursued by CPD SWAT and task force officers with the ATF.
When officers finally caught up with Tatum, they found a pistol with an attached machine gun conversion device, a magazine with ammunition, and narcotics containing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine base. Tatum admitted to having fentanyl and crack cocaine, claiming he cut the fentanyl with sugar to make it less potent. He also confessed to selling drugs to pay for legal counsel in his other cases.
Tatum pleaded guilty to possessing a machine gun, possessing ammunition as a previously convicted felon, and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances. He faces significant prison time for these federal crimes, with penalties ranging from 5 to 40 years for the narcotics charge alone.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: Ohio
- Location: OH
- Source: DOJ Press Release
