Arkansas Police Chasing Corvette At 135 MPH Crashes Into Innocent Bystanders

Police officers often have to make split-second, life-changing decisions and frequently face excessive criticism when they make a mistake. On the other hand, they sometimes seem to throw caution to the wind and develop tunnel vision regarding their objective. In a recent pursuit in Arkansas, one officer’s relentless focus on catching a suspect led to a traffic accident—and a suspect who got away.

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The clip below begins with an officer speeding toward Interstate 30 in pursuit of a Corvette that he claims was speeding. There’s no official indication of his speed but it appears as though he’s well above the limit as he passes a car while in the slow lane. Then, he enters a construction zone with barrels everywhere. 

More: Blacked-Out Dodge Charger Busted After 150 MPH GTA-Style Chase

As he gets onto I-30 behind the Corvette, he hits his lights and the Chevrolet sports car takes off. He puts several car lengths on the police car in no time. When asked about the charges and speed of the chase, the officer confirms he’s pursuing the Corvette at 135 mph (217 km/h), with speeding being the only initial charge.

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He finally catches up to the Chevrolet as they enter another construction area with some traffic. At this point, the Corvette slides between a barrel and into the closed right lane. The officer, seemingly surprised, clips a barrel before hitting a second and a third. He then overcorrects, colliding with a Mercedes-Benz SUV, slamming it into the wall before crashing into the opposite wall himself.

The officer checks on the occupants, who claim they’re uninjured. However, there’s no information on their condition afterward. Commenters on the video are understandably unhappy with the officer’s actions.

“How did the corvette do that from so far in front?  It would appear that the less skilled cowboy was unable to control his own reckless driving,” wrote one commentator. “Glorifying AR highway idiots for their reckless driving is more of a contributor to what happened. There is no justification for such reckless operation to the detriment of innocent citizens. The cop needs to be held accountable,” they added.

What did the police say?

Carscoops reached out to the Saline County Sheriff’s office about the situation and boy did this story take a turn. First, deputy Dalton Gregg did receive “disciplinary action” but the department wouldn’t give us additional details. Secondly, construction workers found the Corvette abandoned later in the evening and called the police.

They towed it and the next morning the owner reported it stolen. According to a detective, Baylen Moore, that same owner, told police he’d been staying with his mother. A construction worker reported seeing someone who matched Moore’s description in the early morning of the chase near the abandoned car. A judge issued a warrant and police collected Moore’s phone.

Authorities found messages from Moore to others saying “We had fun, Ditch car got in chase”, “we got picked up”, and others saying that he’d left his vehicle in a field and finally others that included screenshots of his location near the car after the pursuit.

Due to this evidence, authorities have charged Moore with filing a false report, reckless driving, and tampering with physical evidence. It’s unclear at this point when his next court date is.

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Image Credit: LRHN