CHEROKEE COUNTY, Okla. — UPDATE (1/10/23 11:15 A.M.) — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department said they arrested a man accused of firing shots at a deputy on Jan. 3. The department said they tracked down 32-year-old Christopher Smith to an apartment on McSpadden Court in Tahlequah on Monday around 4 p.m. He was arrested without incident, and had since cut his hair.

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On Tuesday night, a Cherokee County Sheriff Department (CCSO) Deputy attempted to make a traffic stop which turned into a vehicle pursuit after the driver refused to pull over.

CCSO Deputy Nick Chute was on patrol Tuesday evening when he attempted a traffic stop for a red SUV for driving over the speed limit.

The driver of the red SUV refused to stop and Deputy Nick Chute, along with other CCSO Deputies, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and deputy marshals of the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service pursued the car as it headed into the Stone Chapel area. The driver of the red SUV then began firing shots from a handgun at Chute, hitting the windshield of his car twice.

The chase headed west into the Woodall area and across Highway 62 where the suspect drove the red SUV off road, stopped and bailed on foot.

The suspect was not located in the area, but evidence found in the suspect’s car gave CCSO Deputies enough reason to get an arrest warrant for Christopher Wayne Smith, 32, a resident of the Woodall area.

If you have information on the whereabouts of Smith, contact CCSO at 918-456-2583.

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