Arkansas man arrested after pursuit in North Little Rock; minivan at one point traveled wrong way on I-40, police say

Gary Brown
Gary Brown

A 39-year-old man led North Little Rock police on a chase Monday night after officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, authorities said.

An officer spotted a Dodge Caravan believed to be stolen driving east on Interstate 40 near the Galloway exit at about 6:45 p.m. and tried to pull it over, according to a North Little Rock Police Department arrest report.

The driver, later identified as Gary Brown, of Little Rock, reportedly pulled off the interstate, turned around and drove west into eastbound traffic, police said.

The officer said he then stopped his pursuit of the minivan, but could see other drivers “having to swerve out of the way” and could hear them honking their horns at the wrong-way driver.

Some time later, another officer reported seeing the vehicle traveling nearly 100 miles per hour over a levee and into a residential neighborhood near U.S. 165 and Arkansas 391. It then crashed into a ditch, authorities said.

According to the report, the driver climbed out and ran before being arrested a short time later.

Police said the shirt Brown was wearing when he was arrested had the word “TRUST” written in large letters, and it appeared to be the same shirt worn by the person seen on a camera stealing the vehicle.

Brown was taken to Baptist Springhill Hospital and then to the Pulaski County jail, where he remained Wednesday, according to an online jail roster. He faces one count each of theft by receiving, delivery, possession or manufacturing of drug paraphernalia, fleeing and refusal to submit to arrest.

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