A chase involving a stolen car that began in Southaven and stretched into Memphis culminated in a serious collision, leaving two individuals with non-critical injuries and a 21-year-old suspect in custody, facing multiple charges. WREG reported that Jordan Franklin was arrested after fleeing from authorities and is now being held on charges that include two counts of evading arrest, theft of property $2,500-$10,000, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, and possession of a controlled substance – marijuana.
According to WREG, the pursuit initiated Thursday morning when the West Memphis Police Department responded to a stolen car report. Southaven Police later spotted the said stolen vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Ignoring the officers' signals, the driver, later identified as Franklin, chose to instead speed up, initiating the chase that would ultimately cross state lines.
In a statement obtained by Local Memphis, Southaven Police clarified that they did not chase the vehicle but deployed stop sticks on Airways Boulevard that the vehicle struck, yet it continued into Memphis. The outcome was the vehicle losing control and crashing into another car that was southbound on Airways Boulevard.
While the aftermath of the theft and pursuit was being handled, an unfortunate side event occurred where a dog charged at an officer, was subsequently shot, and thankfully, survived its injuries, as reported by FOX13. The conversation sparked by the chase has led some, like former mayor Dwight Barfield, to express concerns about the safety implications of high-speed pursuits. "Anytime you have a high-traffic area and it’s not a life-and-death situation, I do not think police should be chasing any cars in high-traffic area," Barfield told FOX13.
Franklin is held in jail on a $50,000 bond, and his court appearance is scheduled for Friday morning. Meanwhile, the two individuals injured in the incident were reported by Memphis Police to be in non-critical condition and are receiving care at St. Francis Hospital. As investigations continue, the impact of these events on policy and public safety discourse remains a concern among the community.
