A man wanted on a parole warrant led authorities on a lengthy chase Thursday that reached speeds of 100 mph and continued from North Little Rock to Hazen, police said.
Tyrone Bryant, 36, was arrested in Hazen after the pickup he was driving veered into a ditch and a police K-9 caught up to him as he tried to run away, according to a report.
Police say the chase started when a Pulaski County sheriff's office deputy stopped the pickup on Arkansas 70 near Interstate 440 because its brake lights weren't functioning.
As Deputy James Koch walked up to the stopped pickup, it started to pull away. The pickup then went in reverse toward Koch "in a fast motion," he wrote in the report.
"I was able to move to the side before the vehicle could strike me at which time I drew my service weapon," Koch wrote. "The vehicle then began traveling forward and took off westbound on Highway 70 at a high rate of speed."
That touched off a lengthy chase. The pickup reached speeds of 100 mph in a 45 mph zone, passing vehicles on the double yellow lines and later getting on Interstate 30 and then Interstate 40.
The pickup continued at speeds of up to 100 mph, at one point nearly striking an 18-wheeler when the pickup took the Galloway exit, ran through a four-way stop and then got back on the highway, police said.
An attempt to deploy spike strips to disable the pickup's tires was unsuccessful, and the chase continued all the way to Hazen. There, the pickup got off I-40, lost control and went into a ditch. The driver, later identified as Bryant, ran, but was caught moments later by a police K-9, the report said.
"I made contact with Mr. Bryant and asked him why he fled and he stated, 'Because I didn’t want to go back ... I have a parole warrant for my arrest,'" Koch wrote.
A search of the vehicle revealed a small amount of suspected crack cocaine, police said. And a digital scale with a white powdery residue on it was found in passenger Megan Harris' purse, the report said. Harris, 30, was also arrested.
Bryant was treated at UAMS Medical Center, where he received five stitches in his left arm where the K-9 bit him.
Bryant's charges include aggravated assault, fleeing, possession of a controlled substance and reckless driving. Harris was charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and refusal to submit to arrest.
Both suspects remained in the Pulaski County jail Friday morning with bails not yet set.