Arkansas Police Chase Ends in Crash with Four-Month-Old Baby Ejected From Car

An El Dorado father faces multiple felony charges after a high-speed police pursuit ended in a rolling crash that ejected his unrestrained four-month-old infant from the vehicle.

The incident began at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, 2026, when an Arkansas State Police trooper attempted a routine traffic stop on a 2012 Toyota Highlander inside the Camden city limits.

The driver of the sport utility vehicle refused to pull over for the traffic violation and accelerated away from the trooper.

Arkansas State Police officials stated that the suspect vehicle rapidly reached speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour as it fled south out of Camden.

The high-speed pursuit continued down Ouachita County Road 47, a key rural corridor just outside the municipal boundaries.

The pursuing trooper did not know that multiple young children were unsecured inside the fleeing Toyota Highlander.

Police reports indicate that the driver passed several vehicles on the two-lane rural road and repeatedly swerved into oncoming traffic lanes.

The state trooper attempted two separate Tactical Vehicle Intervention maneuvers to force the fleeing SUV to a stop.

Both tactical maneuvers failed to stop the suspect as he continued driving recklessly down the county road.

The pursuit ended when the driver lost control of the Toyota Highlander while navigating a curve on Ouachita County Road 47.

The vehicle left the pavement, tore through a residential yard, struck a light pole, and overturned multiple times.

The impact of the crash snapped the utility pole and left the overturned SUV resting dangerously close to live electrical wires.

A four-month-old infant, who was not secured in a child safety seat, was thrown from the rolling vehicle onto the roadway during the crash sequence.

The pursuing trooper immediately parked his cruiser and rushed to secure the infant on the side of the road.

Additional responding state troopers worked quickly to extract three more young children from the smoking wreckage under the live power lines.

Authorities confirmed that all three additional children pulled from the overturned vehicle were under the age of six.

Ambulances transported all four children to the Ouachita County Medical Center in Camden for emergency medical evaluations.

Medical staff treated all four minors for minor injuries resulting from the high-speed crash.

Law enforcement officers contacted the mother of the children, who subsequently responded to the emergency room at the local hospital.

Police at the crash scene identified the driver of the Toyota Highlander as 28-year-old Tyrice Fletcher of El Dorado.

A subsequent physical search of the crashed vehicle yielded a defaced firearm and an undisclosed quantity of illegal marijuana.

Records indicate that Fletcher is a convicted felon, legally prohibiting him from possessing firearms under Arkansas state law.

Arresting officers transported Fletcher to the Ouachita County Detention Center for formal booking on a long list of criminal allegations.

Prosecutors filed multiple charges against Fletcher, including felony fleeing, possession of a defaced firearm, and possession of a firearm by certain persons.

Fletcher also faces four counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and criminal mischief.

Additional charges include possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless driving, and operating a vehicle without a driver’s license.

Court records show that Fletcher was also cited for four counts of failing to secure children in passenger safety seats.

Arkansas State Police Colonel Mike Hagar issued a public statement on Friday expressing profound outrage over the incident.

Colonel Hagar noted that he cannot fathom a parent making the decision to drive recklessly and flee law enforcement with children inside a vehicle.

The state police chief defended the agency’s active pursuit policies and vowed to hold fleeing offenders fully accountable under criminal statutes.

Local traffic safety advocates urge all parents to utilize age-appropriate, certified car seats for every child passenger to prevent ejections during collisions.

The Arkansas Department of Public Safety emphasizes that drivers must immediately pull over to the right side of the road when emergency vehicles activate their lights.

Residents can access free child safety seat inspection services at local fire stations and health department clinics throughout Ouachita County.

Fletcher remains held at the county jail facility pending his formal arraignment hearing in front of an Arkansas circuit court judge.