What started as a late-night blur of headlights on the Hernando de Soto Bridge ended with a wrecked luxury SUV nose-first in a West Memphis ditch and two men in handcuffs.
On Wednesday night, a white Range Rover with Maryland tags led Arkansas State Police troopers on a high-speed chase across the bridge and into West Memphis. The pursuit ended at an I-40 entrance ramp when the SUV slammed into a concrete culvert after troopers performed a tactical vehicle intervention, or TVI. The maneuver sent the Range Rover into the south ditch near mile marker 281, where it came to rest against the culvert. Officers then pulled the occupants from the vehicle and arrested them at the scene. Searches at the crash site later turned up firearms and suspected drugs, authorities said.
Bridge Run Turns Into Interstate Slam Stop
Bystander and patrol video shows the white Range Rover weaving through traffic and rapidly changing lanes as it crossed the Hernando de Soto Bridge into Arkansas, troopers tight on its bumper. At one point, an officer appears to try a TVI on the SUV's rear passenger side, but the Range Rover keeps going before troopers finally manage to spin it out near the ramp. The footage also captures officers pulling occupants from the vehicle and leading them to patrol units. The full chase video is available on YouTube.
Troopers Say Second TVI Pushed SUV Off Ramp
According to LocalMemphis, Arkansas State Police documents state that an initial TVI targeting the SUV's rear passenger fender did not stop the vehicle. Troopers then executed a second TVI that did. The documents say the Range Rover was clocked at 109 mph on the Hernando de Soto Bridge, where the posted speed limit is 55 mph, and later exceeded 130 mph before it left the roadway at the I-40 entrance ramp near mile marker 281. Investigators list the second TVI as the move that sent the SUV into the south ditch and into the concrete culvert.
Scene Locked Down As Traffic Crawls
After the crash, troopers pulled the people inside the SUV from the wreck and took them into custody along the roadside, the video shows. Officers searched the vehicle and surrounding area while tow crews worked to remove the damaged SUV from the ramp. Traffic slowed as investigators documented the scene and collected evidence. Local units remained on site for hours photographing the wreck and gathering items of interest.
Driver, Passenger Face Long List Of Charges
Authorities later identified the driver as Edwin Bell and a passenger as Eric Long, and both were booked on multiple counts, LocalMemphis reports.
Bell is charged with reckless driving, an open-container violation, DWI (first offense), speeding more than 15 mph over the limit, felony fleeing by means of a vehicle creating substantial danger of death or serious physical injury, and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms. Long faces charges that include open-container, possession of a firearm by certain persons, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, public intoxication, and possession with intent to deliver a Schedule VI quantity listed as 14 grams to 4 ounces, the outlet says.
Officers say searches at the scene turned up four firearms, marijuana, several pill bottles, and an open beer that the driver admitted to drinking.
Next Steps In The Case
Booking details and court dates were not immediately available, and both men are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Arkansas State Police and local prosecutors will handle any additional filings that may come from the crash investigation and the evidence recovered at the scene.
