Man threatens to kill a child if he can't use a police officer's phone, leading to a car chase: Police

A man driving through Memphis at 3 a.m. pulled over to ask a police officer to borrow his phone -- and then told the officer he would kill the young girl riding with him if he couldn't.

When the Tennessee police officer approached the man's white Cadillac on Tuesday, he sped off. Police pursued his vehicle until the man rammed into a police squad car so hard that it struck another squad car, police said in a statement.

The man, who has not been identified, was finally detained after running away from the car on foot.

Police also said that the man had drugs in his system and was being evaluated at a local hospital.

The child was found unharmed, and the two officers involved in the collision were transported to the hospital in non-critical condition, police said.

Police did not immediately clarify the nature of the relationship between the suspect and the child.

Police in Memphis said they later learned that the suspect had allegedly assaulted the child’s aunt prior to the incident, and that they were working with police in the city of Olive Branch, Tennessee, where the assault is believed to have occurred.

It was not immediately clear why the man needed to use the phone.