Little Rock man hits police car while fleeing in vehicle, authorities say

Derrick Lewis, 21, of Little Rock
Derrick Lewis, 21, of Little Rock

A Little Rock man was arrested on multiple drug and assault charges after a Sunday morning car chase ended with him being bitten by a police dog as he tried to scale a fence, according to the Pulaski County sheriff's office.

Deputy Daniel Cantwell attempted to pull over a silver Chevrolet with a broken license plate light around 12:25 a.m. as it traveled west on 13th Street, he wrote in a report. The car, driven by 21-year-old Derrick Lewis, did not pull over and headed toward deputies making a different traffic stop, forcing them to run out of the way, Cantwell wrote.

Police say the vehicle then sped to East View Terrace apartments where it crashed into a fence and then struck a police car. Lewis got out of the car and tried to vault a fence but was thwarted by a police dog who bit his left leg, according to the report.

Cantwell then struck Lewis twice in the arm with a baton before Lewis got on the ground, the deputy wrote in the report.

Authorities searched the silver Chevrolet and found 23 prescription pills as well as a handgun case, according to the report. A handgun with a round in the chamber was recovered in the area where Lewis ran, police added.

Lewis was treated at UAMS Medical Center and later booked into the Pulaski County jail on three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of controlled schedule IV substances, simultaneous possession of guns and drugs, fleeing, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and not having a license plate light.

Upcoming Events