High Speed Pursuit STOLEN DODGE CHALLENGER (Driver tried to RAM Police) - Arkansas State Police

On March 1, 2023, at approximately 9:31 A.M., I, Trooper Donnie Cheers was on regular patrol on Broadway Avenue in West Memphis, Arkansas. I was advised via radio that West Memphis Police were in pursuit of a stolen vehicle. The vehicle description was a red Dodge Challenger with license plate KS-037GKU. I noticed a Dodge Challenger matching that description near Broadway & 25th Street. The driver made a right turn onto Broadway and proceeded to travel east. I turned on my blue lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop. The driver noticed I was behind him, and he began traveling at a high rate of speed, recklessly weaving back and forth across lanes without due regard for the safety of the motoring public. The driver ran a red light at the intersection on Broadway and Walker Street without slowing down and with other traffic in the intersection. The Dodge Challenger was traveling at speeds above 100 miles per hour at several times during the pursuit. As I continued traveling behind the Dodge Challenger, Trooper First Class Spencer Morris took the primary position in the pursuit. The Dodge Challenger made a left turn onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, where the driver lost control and struck a raised curb. The driver regained control and continued north on MLK, stopping in a northward direction in the right lane. The driver’s door came open as TFC. Morris used an intentional intervention to pin the Dodge Challenger against the curb. Due to the suspect ramming a West Memphis Police Officer’s unit to avoid apprehension, I performed an intentional intervention to keep the Dodge Challenger from becoming mobile again and continuing the pursuit. The driver was ordered out of the car and taken into custody by TFC. Morris and WMPD Officers. The driver was identified as Marquis Jones. During a search of the Dodge Challenger, a bag of suspected marijuana weighing 21 grams was located. An auto programming kit, commonly used in the theft of automobiles was also located. The programming kit was confiscated and turned over to West Memphis CID for further investigation. Mr. Marques Jones was transported to the Crittenden County Detention Center and charged with the following: Driving on a Suspended License, Fictitious Tags, Reckless Driving, Fleeing, Possession Instrument of Crime, Careless & Prohibited, Improper Lane Change, Following too Closely, Possession of Control Substance Schedule VI 4oz and Theft by Receiving.