Lexington man arrested after fleeing traffic stop, shooting at police officer
A Lexington man has been arrested after he allegedly fired a gun at a police officer while fleeing a traffic stop, according to the Nicholasville Police Department.
The incident happened early Tuesday morning in Nicholasville near the Fayette-Jessamine County line. Nicholasville police said Jonathan Rodriguez Lopez, 23, was speeding on Lexington Road (U.S. 27) near Catnip Hill Road when an officer pulled him over.
Lopez was driving 85 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to his arrest citation.
Lopez moved his vehicle onto the shoulder but ultimately fled, according to Nicholasville police. The officer followed Lopez to document the license plate until he crossed into Fayette County.
Shortly after the pursuit ended, Lopez turned around and drove back towards the officer. As the vehicles passed each other, driving in opposite directions, Lopez fired a gun through an open window towards the officer, hitting the front driver’s side tire, police said.
The officer’s cruiser was disabled, and the officer was uninjured.
Lopez then drove back into Fayette County and was eventually arrested by Lexington police. Nicholasville police said Lexington officers used investigative camera technology to locate and arrest Lopez.
“We are grateful to the members of the Lexington Police Department and the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance during this incident,” Nicholasville police said in a Facebook post.
Lopez is charged with attempted murder of a first responder, first-degree fleeing/evading police, speeding, reckless driving and failure to maintain required insurance, according to jail records. His arrest citation said he confessed to fleeing the traffic stop but denied shooting a gun at the officer.
Lopez is being held at the Jessamine County Detention Center.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 12:08 PM.
