2 Springdale officers hit by fleeing car

SPRINGDALE — Police arrested four people Friday in connection with two Springdale police officers who were hit and seriously injured while trying to stop a stolen car.

Arommon Luther, 18, of Springdale, two 15-year-old boys and a 17-year-old boy were each arrested on two counts of battery, theft of property and flight. Luther also was arrested on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police officials have asked the Washington County prosecutor to consider charging the 15-year-old driver as an adult, Capt. Derek Hudson, a Springdale police spokesman, said during a news conference Friday afternoon. Surveillance video shows the car swerving at the officers in two instances and traveling at high speeds, Hudson said.

Springdale police received a call about 3:20 a.m. Friday about suspicious people in the

700 block of Woodridge Drive. The caller reported seeing two people on the security camera outside his house, according to a Police Department news release.

Officers arrived at the home and began to check the area. They located several people inside a stolen Nissan Altima with the headlights off. Officer Ashley Booth approached the car and it fled at high speed, striking Booth and throwing him onto the hood. Officer Annelisa Hoffman also was hit as the car sped away, according to the news release.

Booth has been with the department 12 years, and Hoffman has been with the department 3½ years, said Derek Hudson with the Police Department.

The car eventually hit the home’s resident in his vehicle head-on.

All occupants of the stolen car fled on foot. A search ensued, involving a Springdale police dog.

Hudson said police are continuing the investigation because they think more people might have been in the area breaking into cars. Officers are not sure how many individuals were riding in the car.

Booth and Hoffman were taken to Northwest Medical Center with severe injuries, but they were not considered life-threatening. No update on their conditions was available Friday evening.

The resident suffered minor injuries and was not transported, according the news release.

Hudson said Luther admitted to being in the stolen car, hitting the officers and leaving the scene of an accident.