A 22-year-old Nashville driver has been charged after a Memorial Day street race that began at a red light on Bell Road ended with his car spinning into oncoming traffic and triggering a multi-vehicle crash. Multiple people were hurt. At least one was rushed to a Nashville hospital with serious injuries.
According to an arrest affidavit, the encounter started when a red Cadillac pulled up next to the driver’s green 2017 Dodge Challenger at a red light on Bell Road and honked its horn three times once the light turned green. The driver of the Challenger answered the way the affidavit says he understood the Cadillac driver to intend. He ended up racing in turn.
On a road where the posted speed limit is 45 mph, the Challenger reached speeds between 70 and 80 mph. The driver then hit his brakes. That is the point at which the car left the lane it was supposed to be in and went where another vehicle’s lane was.
What happened next was at least one trip to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, multiple vehicles scattered across Bell Road and a list of charges that includes drag racing with serious injury. The driver of the Cadillac, according to the affidavit, was not the one who lost control. That driver has not been identified to the public just yet.
What Police Say Happened
Man spins out into oncoming traffic during Nashville street race on Memorial Day, affidavit says https://t.co/s6nZ3jW2Xl
— WSMV 4 Nashville (@WSMV) May 28, 2026
According to Metropolitan Nashville Police and the arrest affidavit obtained by WSMV4, the crash happened on Memorial Day. Investigators say Dazjon Taylor, 22, had stopped in his green 2017 Dodge Challenger at a red light on Bell Road. A red Cadillac pulled up alongside him. When the light turned green, the Cadillac honked its horn three times in quick succession before the two began to race.
According to the affidavit, Taylor reached between 70 and 80 mph along the stretch of Bell Road, where the posted speed limit is 45 mph. He then hit his brakes, causing his vehicle to spin into oncoming traffic and trigger the wreck. When officers arrived, they found multiple vehicles stalled across the road. At least one person was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center suffering from serious injuries.
What Taylor Told Police About the Crime
Taylor reportedly told officers that he was the one responsible for causing the crash. He walked through the sequence of events that began at the red light. He did admit to driving at high speeds and performing the brake-induced spin that put him into oncoming traffic. He also told officers he didn’t have a valid driver’s license or car insurance when racing.
Court records show Taylor has been charged with reckless driving, drag racing with serious injury, driving without a valid license and driving without proof of insurance. He was booked into jail in Nashville. According to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office website, Taylor has since bonded out.