Dozens of flats hit drivers on Dodds Avenue

Sunday, October 7, 2012

photo Dusty McNabb repairs a flat tire at National Tire and Battery on Rossville Boulevard on Sunday. The auto-repair shop received multiple cars with flat tires after motorists drove on Dodds Avenue Saturday night or Sunday.

If you've driven on Dodds Avenue in the past 24 hours, you may need to check your tires.

More than a dozen customers at the National Tire & Battery Auto Center on Rossville Boulevard said Sunday they had multiple flat tires after driving on Dodds Avenue overnight and on Sunday morning.

Ronald Hattlen was among the people waiting at National Tire on Sunday afternoon to get two flats repaired.

"I noticed this morning when I got up, but I don't see no nail or nothing in it, that's what's crazy," Hattlen said. "They're both on the passenger side."

Harold Guffey, whose grandson Jarami Rollen had four flat tires after driving on Dodds Avenue, said he heard from store personnel that the rash of flats may have been caused by spikes in the road that were left over from a police pursuit Saturday night.

However, Officer Nathan Hartwig, Chattanooga Police spokesman, said there was not a police pursuit in the area Saturday night.

Chattanooga Police dispatchers confirmed they have received multiple calls about flat tires on civilian and police vehicles, but said they did not know if the flat tires were caused by a particular incident.

See Monday's Times Free Press for complete coverage.