NORTH LITTLE ROCK — A speeding driver who was shot at North Little Rock High School's East Campus Thursday after he accelerated his car into a police officer is in critical condition, authorities said.
The police officer, meanwhile, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The identity of the speeding driver has not been released, though North Little Rock Police Department Sgt. Terry Kuykendall said he is not believed to be a student at the school. It's unclear why he was driving outside it.
The incident started just before 4 p.m. when administrators tried to stop the car after seeing it speeding erratically in a school parking lot. The adult white man behind the wheel failed to obey the administrator commands and began driving at a high rate of speed on a lane that runs beside where buses park to pick up students, who were just being dismissed for the day.
Kuykendall said the car stopped temporarily when one of the school resource officers got in front of it, put his arm up and yelled for it to do so.
"After a few moments, for some unknown reason, it accelerated rapidly, striking our officer, throwing him onto the hood of the car," Kuykendall said. "The driver continued with our officer on the hood of the car."
A second school resource officer, who Kuykendall said was scared for the first officer's life, then shot the driver, immobilizing the vehicle near Lakeview Road.
Kuykendall called the incident very fortunate, noting that the officer wasn't more seriously hurt and no students were injured.
"This could have been a much, much worse situation," he said.
The case remains under investigation with more details expected to be released later.
East Campus is at 2400 Lakewood Road, south of McCain Mall.
Thank you for coming to the Web site of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. We're working to keep you informed with the latest breaking news.