Suspected drunken driver accused of officers' battery

Paul Sonny
Paul Sonny

A suspected drunken driver who was arrested Tuesday after multiple hit-and-run accidents in Little Rock later battered two police officers at the jail, authorities said.

Paul Sonny, 55, of Camden is facing charges including reckless driving, three counts of leaving the scene of an accident, driving while intoxicated and two counts of second-degree battery. He remained in jail Wednesday morning with bail set at $10,000.

According to Little Rock police reports, Sonny was involved in two hit-and-run accidents with vehicles on Martin Luther King Boulevard and a third accident on Scott Street. In the latter, Sonny's sport utility vehicle struck a pair of vehicles before it "spun around, struck the residence at 1417 Cumberland Street, and then backed up, striking the residence at 1421 Cumberland," one report said.

The SUV left the scene but was stopped later in the 200 block of East 17th Street, police said. Authorities reported finding eight empty cans of Colt 45 in the vehicle and 12 more full ones.

After being taken to the Pulaski County jail, Sonny kicked an officer in the neck and punched another in the nose, one report said. Officers sprayed him with pepper spray before placing him in a cell.

A separate police report said a breathalyzer test revealed Sonny had a blood-alcohol level of 0.247, which is more than three times the legal limit for driving. He was taken to UAMS Medical Center for treatment before being booked back in jail because of his intoxication level, one report added.

An April 15 court date is set.

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