A shocking video has shown the moment an infant was hurled from a car carrying four other children during a high-speed police chase.
Arkansas State Police tried to stop a black SUV for a traffic violation on May 24, but the driver, 28-year-old Tyrice Fletcher, allegedly refused to pull over and sped away, reaching more than 100 mph.
Police vehicle dashcam footage showed the van swerving wildly down the road before skidding onto the grass.
Huge clouds of dust and dirt trailed the van as it barreled forward with its passenger-side door hanging off.
The SUV then flips, tearing through a yard before it crashed into a pole. A four-month-old infant was thrown from the car as it rolled.
Police rushed to the car with firearms drawn, as one officer scooped up the baby and carried them to safety.
Another cop guided three other young children, all under six years old, from the overturned car, checking them for injuries.
None of the children were wearing seatbelts, they all survived with minor injuries and were taken to the hospital.
Arkansas State Police are seen chasing a fleeing black SUV that had four children inside
The SUV was speeding at 100 mph before it skidded off the road and overturned into a pole
An officer is seen rushing to save a four-month-old baby that ejected from the vehicle
State troopers said they attempted to stop the chase by striking the SUV with their vehicle, not knowing there were children inside.
During the chase, troopers said Fletcher lost control of the van, and the children’s mother was informed of the incident.
Fletcher is in custody at the Ouachita County Detention Center facing a slew of charges, including fleeing, four counts of child endangerment, and gun and drug related offenses.
‘That parent made a conscious choice to engage in that activity with four children in the car, unrestrained at that, I mean, it’s absolutely appalling,’ said Colonel Mike Hagar with Arkansas State Police at a conference.
‘Certainly, children being present in a vehicle with a fleeing suspect, that’s certainly going to be a huge factor in whether or not you continue that pursuit or not.
‘In this situation, as well as the one that we had a couple months ago, where there was a toddler in the car, the trooper had no idea,’ Hagar said.
Three other children were rescued from the vehicle, as one cop is seen evaluating a kid for injuries
All of the children in the car were under age six and were not wearing seatbelts
An officer is seen approaching the overturned SUV with a firearm drawn
The suspect behind the wheel is 28-year-old Tyrice Fletcher – who is seen here in the back of the police vehicle
Asked if the trooper would face consequences, Hagar insisted the spotlight belongs on the driver who set the chase in motion.
‘Punished for what? They don’t know if there’s a child in the car. I’ve said it so many times, we have got to get out of this mindset of focusing on the ibuprofen and start looking at the headache.
‘We do not initiate pursuits. We have never initiated one pursuit, ever, not once. We respond to the reckless criminal actions of the suspect,’ he said.
