Arkansas State Trooper Edward Church Chase Suspect Driving The Wrong Way On US HWY 167 Troop K

On 2/6/22, around 3:03 pm, I was monitoring traffic moving southbound on U.S. 167 Bypass South near the South Junction with U.S. Highway 167 Business. I observed the suspect vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and estimated the speed at 75 mph. I activated my RADAR unit on my patrol car dash and noticed the speed increasing on the target suspect vehicle at 78 mph. I activated my emergency lights and turned south to attempt a traffic stop. When I maneuvered south The suspect vehicle accelerated and began to flee. I activated my siren and began pursuing the vehicle. I contacted my dispatcher to advise them I had a vehicle running from me. The suspect vehicle began reaching speeds of 110 + mph and passed a vehicle on a bridge on the right shoulder. The suspect vehicle swerved from lane to lane as it crossed into Dallas and Cleveland Counties on US Highway 167. I attempted to pull alongside the suspect vehicle to see if any children were in the vehicle. I only observed 1 black male driver. My state issued radio then died and I switched to my handheld radio. Between the Cleveland County line and the Saline River S curves I found a safe place to do a P.I.T. maneuver and thought I had successfully disabled the suspect vehicle. It spun across the median, both northbound lanes and went up an embankment on the east side of the roadway. The suspect vehicle came to rest facing south and the suspect was able to get the vehicle mobile again and continued southbound in the northbound lanes. I advised dispatch of the situation and while observing traffic followed the vehicle in the inside northbound lane moving back to the southbound lane as quickly as I could while observing the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle was driving erratically running other vehicles off the roadway by pointing the vehicle in their direction. Troop F dispatch was patched in to the pursuit and Trp. Jimmy Plyler, 219, was monitoring. Trp. Plyler advised he would get in position to utilize his spike strips to attempt to slow the suspect vehicle. Trp. Plyler positioned himself behind a bridge abutment in a straight stretch of the highway approximately 1 1/2 miles north of State Highway 273 West and deployed the spike strips as the suspect vehicle passed in the northbound lanes. Trp. Plyler made a successful spike of the left front tire of the suspect vehicle effectively slowing the pursuit. Approximately 1/2 mile north of State Highway 273 the left front tire of the suspect vehicle came off however the suspect continued south and then changed to the southbound lanes on the rim. When the suspect approached SH 273 he made a right turn onto SH 273 and began weaving from ditch to ditch. After approximately 2/10ths mile the suspect drove his vehicle into a concrete bunker on the north side of the roadway approximately 15' from the pavement. The area where the suspect vehicle came to rest was in Dallas County. The suspect then jumped out of the vehicle and appeared to be fleeing on foot but I had exited my vehicle and held the suspect at gunpoint until he was on the ground and I placed him in handcuffs. When the suspect jumped out of his vehicle a loaded .45 Ruger pistol with a laser sight on it fell from his lap to the floorboard of the driver's side. Once the suspect was cuffed and read his Miranda Warning he was placed in the back of my patrol car. The Ruger .45, along with another Sig Sauer 9 mm, also loaded, were confiscated for safekeeping until it was determined that the suspect had legal possession of the firearms. The firearms were taken to Headquarters in Hot Springs and placed in the vault for safekeeping. The suspect was then transported by me to the Sheridan Detention Facility and Booked for several traffic violations and Felony Fleeing.