Little Rock police are investigating after a car being pursued by an officer hit two pedestrians on the sidewalk in the 10000 block of Chicot Road, killing one and leaving the other in critical condition, police said.
Police spokesman Lt. Steven McClanahan said the pedestrians, both women, were hit by a Nissan Maxima that had been stolen in northwest Little Rock. A Little Rock officer was pursuing the Maxima, which was going south on Chicot Road from Baseline Road when the driver appeared to lose control and hit the women about 6:50 p.m.
One of the women died at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital, where she was in critical condition, McClanahan said.
The Maxima flipped and the male driver was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. A female passenger in the car was not injured and was being detained by police at the scene, McClanahan said. Neither person was identified by police Tuesday night.
Police were not releasing the names of the women who were hit because they were working to notify the women's families, McClanahan said.
The name of the officer involved also was not released, but Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner said it would be released today. Buckner said the officer was placed on paid administrative leave per department policy in such instances. He said such instances were rare.
The officer was not injured.
Buckner and McClanahan said Tuesday night that they could not recall the last time a similar crash occurred in Little Rock.
"This is horrific," Buckner said. "For something like this to happen and to have innocent people killed."
Several blocks of Chicot Road were blocked off Tuesday night by police cars and crime-scene tape as investigators worked at the site. McClanahan said an accident-reconstruction team would examine the marks on the road and debris from the crash.
Police said they didn't know yet how fast the cars were traveling at the time of the crash. Chicot Road is five lanes and the speed limit is 40 mph. The road is surrounded by neighborhoods, and the Nissan Maxima lay overturned in the front yard of a home at 10004 Chicot Road.
Metro on 09/16/2015
