Springdale police I.D. man in foot chase from Murphy Park in which service weapon was fired

Springdale City Police Department Thursday, February 16, 2017, in downtown Springdale. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)
Springdale City Police Department Thursday, February 16, 2017, in downtown Springdale. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)

SPRINGDALE — The Police Department has released the name of a suspect in a Wednesday disturbance near Murphy Park during which an officer fired his weapon.

Ethan Brasel, 20, was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and taken to the Washington County Detention Center, reported Capt. Jeff Taylor, a spokesman for the department.

Police received a call about 6 p.m. from a woman saying Brasel would not get out of her car in the western parking lot of Murphy Park on South Pleasant Street, according to a release from the department. The caller reported Brasel had a pistol in his front waistband and there was another gun in the car.

Officers found Brasel sitting in the front passenger seat of a white car. Officers ordered Brasel out of the car and asked if he had any weapons, the release says.

Brasel said he didn’t have a weapon, but officers could see a rifle in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, the release says. Brasel pulled away and ran when one of the officers began to pat him down in a search for weapons.

An officer yelled Brasel had a gun as police chased him west from the park, the report said. An officer ordered Brasel to drop the gun, according to the release.

An officer then fired his gun at Brasel but didn’t hit him, the release says.

Brasel continued to run away, cutting through backyards and jumping fences. Officers found and arrested him in a yard close to the intersection of Pleasant Street and Maple Avenue, according to the release.

Officers found a pistol in the backyard of one of the houses in the area, the report said.

Basel’s injuries were related to the foot chase.

An officer also received an ankle injury during the chase.

The officer who fired shots has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol pending an internal investigation, Taylor said.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Springdale police are still investigating the incident, he said.

The disturbance began in a parking lot south of the Springdale Public Library, which is connected to the library parking lot.

The library was open at the time of the incident, said Ann Gresham, the library director.

Police closed Pleasant Street in front of the library, and the library closed early, Gresham said.

Police worked with library staff after the incident to ensure everyone safely got to their cars, she said.


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