Man fleeing police racks up 18 counts

A Little Rock man sped through a residential neighborhood Saturday, striking a stop sign and another vehicle and causing children to jump out of the street to avoid being hit, police said.

Michael Layne Jr., 23, faces more than a dozen charges, including eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, after Saturday’s chase.

According to a police report, Layne is a fugitive out of Texarkana, Texas.

About 3: 30 p. m. Saturday, he fled from police, driving an estimated 60 mph in a residential area in southwest Little Rock, police said.

Layne struck a stop sign and failed to stop at four more stop signs, police noted.

A report states Layne drove into oncoming traffic on Chicot Road — reaching speeds of up to 80 mph — and struck an oncoming vehicle.

Children in the neighborhood “had to jump out of the street to not be hit,” the report reads.

Layne was stopped and arrested near 8900 Chicot Road. Police said Layne’s 6- year- old nephew was in the vehicle and was not wearing a seat belt.

Besides the eight child endangerment charges, Layne was booked into Pulaski County jail on two counts of first- degree criminal mischief and four counts of failure to stop, as well as fleeing, driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving with no insurance and driving a vehicle without license plates.

Layne’s bail was set at $ 19,250. A hold was placed on his custody, and he remained on the jail’s roster late Sunday.