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I-40 Shootout: The fugitive, the chase and 12 seconds of gunfire that changed everything

A Florida fugitive vowed he'd never go back to jail. On the night of July 14, 2020, on a busy section of I-40 in downtown Knoxville, he got his wish.

John North, John Becker

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Published: 6:05 PM EDT July 8, 2021
Updated: 6:06 PM EDT August 3, 2021

Cristhian Eliud Ramos-Murillo vowed he'd never go back to Florida alive.

The 32-year-old fugitive got what he wanted on a clear July 14 evening last year on Interstate 40 in downtown Knoxville.

After an 18-minute chase that started at Watt Road and ended in a forced crash on I-40 near the monolithic AT&T Building, Murillo pulled out a pistol in the driver's seat of a Chevy SUV, traded shots with THP troopers and Knox County deputies and suffered multiple gunshot wounds that would kill him that night.

His passenger and friend, a Salvadoran native who spoke little English, survived. Barely.

Investigating authorities revealed little at the time about the shootout that shut down the interstate for hours and prompted a months-long state investigation.

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