A 16-year-old was arrested Saturday after leading Arkansas State Police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash near the Interstate 40 and Interstate 30 interchange in Little Rock. A passenger fled into the woods and was still being sought hours later, with authorities warning the public that the suspect is considered armed and dangerous.
According to kark.com, troopers responding to a be-on-the-lookout alert spotted a vehicle connected to a stolen-car investigation and attempted a traffic stop. The driver allegedly fled instead, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph and driving recklessly on westbound I-40, police said. KATV reported that the pursuit began around 12:50 a.m. on November 7, though kark.com reported that troopers spotted the vehicle just before 1 p.m. — the two accounts do not agree on the timing of the chase.
The vehicle eventually lost control and crashed. KATV's reporting placed the crash near the I-40 west and I-30 east interchange, while kark.com described it as the I-40 west and I-30 west interchange; the discrepancy between the two accounts has not been resolved. Both outlets agree that the driver and a passenger then fled the scene on foot.
Passenger Still Missing in Wooded Area
The passenger was last seen in a wooded area north of westbound I-40 and had not been located as of Saturday afternoon, the station's report said. Authorities described the suspect as armed and dangerous, a warning that underscored the urgency of the ongoing search in the area.
State police said the vehicle involved had been reported stolen and had previously been used in a shooting in Forrest City, tying the Little Rock chase to a separate violent incident elsewhere in the state. Arkansas State Police arrested the 16-year-old driver, per the same account, though the passenger's identity has not been confirmed.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Pursuits Statewide
The chase comes amid a statewide push by Arkansas law enforcement to crack down on drivers who flee police. Arkansas State Police and the state's elected prosecuting attorneys announced they would increase enforcement of laws against fleeing from police, citing recent increases in pursuits and related injuries and deaths, according to the Arkansas Advocate. Troopers engaged in 553 pursuits statewide in 2024 alone, with those chases resulting in three suspect deaths, three civilian deaths, and injuries to nine civilians, 14 troopers and 83 suspects, the outlet reported.
More recent numbers suggest the crackdown may be having an effect. 40/29 News reported that high-speed pursuits statewide dropped from 622 in 2023 to 442 by the end of 2025, a 29 percent decrease. Arkansas State Police Director Mike Hagar attributed part of that decline to Act 735, a 2023 law that elevated fleeing from police from a misdemeanor to a felony charge.
Hagar's agency has also pressed prosecutors directly on the issue, meeting with them in February 2025 to urge that fleeing charges not be dropped when plea deals are offered, 40/29 News reported. Hagar has said that adding 120 more state troopers did not lead to more drivers fleeing, pushing back on the idea that a larger police presence encourages suspects to run.
