Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar is urging parents to stop fleeing from law enforcement with children in the vehicle, a warning that comes after a high-speed chase in Ouachita County in May ended with four young children — including a 4-month-old infant thrown from the vehicle — shaken but unhurt.
“The fact that you have to tell a human being that you should not flee with children in your car — the fact that we even have to say that is sad,” Hagar said Friday.
The pursuit began May 24 when a state trooper attempted to stop Tyrice Fletcher, 28, of El Dorado, in Camden. Fletcher fled onto Ouachita 47, reaching speeds greater than 100 mph, according to a state police news release. The trooper was unaware that four children, all younger than 6, were inside the SUV.
During the chase, the trooper twice attempted a tactical vehicle intervention — using his patrol car to ram Fletcher’s vehicle and force it to stop. Both attempts failed.
The pursuit ended when Fletcher crashed. That’s when troopers discovered the four children, including an infant who was not properly restrained and was thrown from the vehicle upon impact. All four children were evaluated at the scene and released to family members. None were seriously injured.
Fletcher was arrested and faces multiple charges including fleeing, aggravated assault on an officer, and endangering the welfare of a minor. Online court records do not show whether he has retained an attorney.
Hagar’s warning extends beyond this single incident. State police have seen a pattern of drivers attempting to evade arrest while carrying passengers, often children, and the outcomes could easily have been fatal.
“These are preventable tragedies,” Hagar said. “A parent making the decision to run puts innocent children at grave risk.”
The Arkansas Highway Patrol covers the entire state, including Northwest Arkansas, and regularly encounters pursuits that endanger bystanders and passengers. Troopers in the region have similar concerns about high-speed chases on interstate corridors like I-49.
State police guidelines require troopers to weigh the severity of an offense against the risk to public safety when deciding whether to pursue a vehicle. However, once a pursuit is underway, the decisions of the fleeing driver — not the pursuing trooper — determine the danger level.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
