A routine argument between a bus passenger and a driver at a Texarkana Greyhound station spiraled into a violent struggle with police Wednesday, leaving a 35-year-old Missouri man facing five criminal charges and a $473,000 bond. Officers say Matthew Gene Price-Dukes fought, punched, and spit on multiple officers before he was finally subdued with a full-body restraint device and hauled off to jail.
According to police, the confrontation began when Price-Dukes got into an argument with the driver of a bus he had been riding at the Greyhound station on South Lake Drive, located at the Exxon Travel Stop. As reported by the Greenville Chronicle, employees inside the station's convenience store later asked police to ban him from the property after he caused problems there, according to authorities. Texarkana police officers responded to the scene Wednesday and told Price-Dukes he needed to leave or face arrest for criminal trespass, according to police, but he was told he would not be allowed back on the bus and, per the same account, refused to leave the property.
Struggle Escalates as Officers Move to Arrest Him
When officers attempted to arrest Price-Dukes, he began resisting by fighting, grabbing and scratching at them, police said. The station's report indicates he punched three officers, including striking one directly in the head, and struck two officers in the face during the struggle. Police say he also spit on two officers, with saliva striking one of them directly in the face.
Officers deployed JPX pepper guns several times during the fight in an effort to gain control, but the pepper agent reportedly had little effect on Price-Dukes, according to authorities. The Texarkana Police Department's General Orders Manual formally authorizes the JPX Cobra Pepper Gun as an approved less-lethal option for controlling combative subjects, but even repeated deployment wasn't enough to stop the struggle. Officers eventually brought Price-Dukes to the ground and placed him in handcuffs, and additional Texarkana police officers and Bowie County deputies arrived several minutes later to assist.
Restraint System Used for Transport
Even after he was handcuffed, police say Price-Dukes continued fighting, prompting officers to place him in a WRAP restraint system before transporting him. The device, made by Safe Restraints Inc., is designed to immobilize combative individuals in an upright, seated position using a locking shoulder harness, leg restraints and ankle straps that prevent kicking while keeping airways clear during transport. Despite the intensity of the encounter, police said officers involved suffered no serious injuries and were able to continue working their shifts afterward.
Price-Dukes was ultimately transported to Bi-State Jail. The facility, officially known as the Bi-State Justice Building and Jail at 100 North State Line Avenue, serves law enforcement agencies in both Texas and Arkansas, with management fully assumed by the Bowie County Sheriff's Office in 2021. Jail records show he was formally booked on Wednesday at 6:55 p.m. under inmate number 47668 and booking number J26-06177, according to the county's inmate roster.
Five Charges Carry Steep Potential Penalties
Price-Dukes now faces three counts of assault on a peace officer, two counts of harassment of a public servant, resisting arrest, and evading detention. Under Texas Penal Code § 22.01, causing bodily injury to a peace officer performing official duties is elevated from simple assault to a felony carrying 2 to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to Brian Foley Law. Separately, Texas Penal Code § 22.11 treats causing a public servant to come into contact with saliva or other bodily fluids as harassment of a public servant, also a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines per count, per L&L Law Group.
The resisting arrest and evading detention charges carry comparatively lighter exposure. Under Texas Penal Code § 38.03, using physical force to obstruct a peace officer during an arrest is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail and fines up to $4,000, according to FindLaw. Fleeing on foot from a known peace officer attempting a lawful arrest, covered under Penal Code § 38.04, carries the same maximum penalty of 365 days in jail and a $4,000 fine, per the Law Offices of Tim Powers.
Public arrest logs show this isn't Price-Dukes's first encounter with law enforcement outside Texas. He was previously arrested in Johnson County, Missouri, on September 22, 2023, and held on a warrant tied to law enforcement in Independence, Missouri, according to Johnson County Mugshots Zone.
Price-Dukes now awaits proceedings at a facility that regularly houses hundreds of inmates. The Bowie County Sheriff's Office reports the Bowie County Detention Center/Bi-State Jail maintains an average daily population of 576 inmates, made up of 486 men and 90 women. It remains unclear whether Price-Dukes will face formal indictment on all five charges in Bowie County District Court or whether mental health or substance-related factors will be raised during preliminary proceedings.
