By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- An Arkansas State Police trooper performed a PIT maneuver on Aug. 5 to end a pursuit that reached speeds of about 130 mph, causing the fleeing vehicle to collide with a bystander’s vehicle.
- The bystander vehicle overturned on Interstate 555 in Trumann, Arkansas; its two occupants, a 68-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man, were hospitalized with serious injuries.
- The pursuit began after the trooper attempted to stop the driver for a traffic violation and the driver refused to stop.
- The suspect was hospitalized for evaluation before being booked into the Poinsett County Detention Center; a vehicle search turned up marijuana, pills and an unidentified liquid substance.
- The suspect faces multiple charges, including felony fleeing, second-degree battery and driving while intoxicated; the investigation remains ongoing.
TRUMANN, Ark. — Two bystanders were seriously injured Aug. 5 when a fleeing driver’s vehicle collided with theirs during an Arkansas State Police pursuit that reached speeds of about 130 mph, according to the agency.
A trooper attempted to stop the driver for a traffic violation, but the driver refused to stop and accelerated to roughly 130 mph. Dash camera video shows the trooper then performing a PIT maneuver, causing the fleeing vehicle to strike another vehicle, which overturned on the east side of the interstate.
A 68-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man riding in the bystander vehicle were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. The suspect was also hospitalized for evaluation before being booked into the Poinsett County Detention Center.
State police said a search of the suspect’s vehicle turned up marijuana, pills and an unidentified liquid substance. The suspect faces charges including felony fleeing, second-degree battery, criminal mischief, possession with purpose to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, hazardous driving and driving while intoxicated.
The investigation remains ongoing.