Florida man jailed after police chase
A Florida man was arrested Monday on a fleeing charge after leading police on a high-speed pursuit, according to a North Little Rock Police Department report.
Austin Baker, 21, of Chuluota, Fla., also faces one count of resisting arrest, records show.
An officer patrolling on North Little Rock's Springhill Drive said he observed a motorcycle driving at a "high rate of speed" that almost hit a bus near Richards Road.
A pursuit later began, and the motorcycle sped on to McCain Boulevard, according to authorities.
The officer wrote that the driver "flipped me off" before traveling east on McCain Boulevard at speeds around 100 mph.
Baker was arrested around 7 p.m. in the 200 block of Neely Drive.
2 thieves drop ID of dead man, keys
During a struggle to retrieve merchandise stolen from a Little Rock store, an employee also discovered a set of keys and identification belonging to a homicide victim, police said.
Officers were sent around 2 p.m. Monday to the Rainbow clothing store at the Shackleford Crossing shopping center, 2610 S. Shackleford Road, in reference to a robbery in progress, according to a Little Rock police report.
The 28-year-old worker said two women with a 1-year-old child ran out of the store with merchandise, prompting her to chase after them.
During a struggle at the robbers' vehicle, the worker was able to obtain the stolen items as well as other merchandise taken earlier that day from a clothing store on Geyer Springs Road. In total, about $534 worth of items were stolen.
The worker also was able to get "a set of keys and an ID belonging to Loren Robinson ... who is deceased," the report states.
Robinson, 30, was found shot July 24 in a brown 2002 Buick LeSabre outside a southwest Little Rock home in the 10000 block of Stardust Trail. He was later pronounced dead at UAMS Medical Center.
The keys and ID are believed to have fallen out of the vehicle while the worker collected the stolen merchandise, Little Rock police spokesman Lt. Michael Ford said Tuesday.
As the robbers tried to flee, the employee was dragged by their vehicle, according to authorities. The police report notes that the pair's vehicle later hit two vehicles before leaving the scene, causing minor damage to both vehicles.
Shoplifter reported to wield pink 'Taser'
Two shoplifters made off with more than $400 worth of merchandise at a west Little Rock Target store after one of them used a "Taser device" on a worker who tried to stop them, authorities said.
The employee told Little Rock officers Monday tha two people started to leave the store at 12700 Chenal Parkway with "several items of merchandise" they hadn't paid for, according to a Little Rock police report.
One of the people resisted the worker and "pulled a pink small hand-held Taser device from his back right pocket and Tased him on his left side," the report said.
The two shoplifters then walked out with the stolen items, which they loaded into a Ford Flex before driving off. The worker declined medical attention, police noted.
The report said the total value of the merchandise was $427.48.
The shoplifters are described as black men. One was 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed about 175 pounds, was wearing a black Bluetooth device around his neck and appeared "to not be able to use his left arm," police wrote. The other was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed about 165 pounds.
Metro on 12/14/2017