CHATTANOOGA — Ta'bious T. Wheat received a total 20-year prison sentence on June 25, 2026, after pleading guilty to attempted second-degree murder in Hamilton County Criminal Court. The charge stemmed from striking East Ridge police officer Alan Resendiz with a vehicle during a pursuit on July 1, 2024.

Wheat received a 10-year sentence in Tennessee, to be served consecutively to a prior 10-year sentence in Georgia. "This matter arose from a law enforcement pursuit that began in Tennessee and ended in Georgia. During the course of the pursuit, East Ridge officer Alan Resendiz was injured when the suspect struck him with the vehicle," Coyle said.

Officer Resendiz was attempting to deploy a tire deflation device when he was struck. Wheat swerved across multiple lanes before hitting the officer. After the incident, Wheat fled south on I-75 into Georgia, where he was later captured.

"The suspect was apprehended in Georgia where he eventually pled to a 10-year sentence to be served in the Georgia Department of Corrections," he said. "After the disposition of the Georgia case, the defendant was returned to Tennessee to answer for the incident involving Officer Resendiz."

"The defendant pled to attempted second-degree murder and received a ten-year sentence to be served consecutively to the Georgia sentence," Coyle said, adding, "In all, the defendant has received a 20-year sentence." Wheat was 22 years old at the time of the incident.