Homeless man arrested after attacking another motorist, fighting police officer
A reportedly homeless man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly punching another man in a local parking lot, ramming his car, and later trying to grab a Hot Springs police officer’s gun while screaming for officers to kill him.
Chadwick Von Beates, 43, who lists “city streets” as his address, was taken into custody shortly after 4 p.m. and charged with felony counts of second-degree battery, aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, each punishable by up to six years in prison.
Beates, who was also cited for improper backing of a vehicle, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, no registration and no insurance, remained in custody Thursday on a $7,500 bond and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court. According to court records, he lists no prior felony history, but pleaded guilty to misdemeanor third-degree battery on Sept. 11, 2020, and was sentenced to one year in jail with all but four days suspended.
According to the probable cause affidavit, around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Officer Anthony Larkin responded to National Park Medical Center, 1910 Malvern Ave., regarding a hitand-run accident, but “quickly learned” it was actually a battery that had occurred once at the scene.
He spoke to two witnesses who stated they had seen a red SUV being chased by a tan van driven by a white male with gray hair. They said the van struck the rear bumper of the SUV at least two times in the emergency room parking lot near the exit and then both vehicles sped off, heading south on Malvern.
The van then allegedly struck the driver’s side of the SUV and pushed it off the road. Larkin made contact with the male driver of the SUV, a red Honda CRV, who stated he was driving through the lot at NPMC when a tan 2010 Toyota Sierra backed out of a parking spot and hit his vehicle.
The SUV driver said he stopped and rolled down his window to speak with the driver of the van, later identified as Beates, so they could make an accident report. He said Beates got out, came up to his window and punched him in the mouth.
The man said he drove off in an attempt to get away as Beates allegedly got back in his van and began chasing him through the parking lot, striking the back of his SUV. He said he then turned onto Malvern and Beates came up beside him and pushed him off the road, striking his driver’s side with the van’s front bumper.
Larkin noted the man had a small laceration to his upper lip from the altercation.
Around that same time, Offi
cer Christian Ramirez had located the van at Laurel and Gulpha streets and got out with Beates regarding the earlier incident. He said Beates approached officers “with an aggressive attitude” and was being disorderly.
Beates allegedly kept yelling he wanted officers to shoot him, Ramirez said, noting Beates was standing in front of him and then charged at him and “grabbed my gun in an attempt to remove it from my holster” while yelling, “Kill me!”
Ramirez said he stepped back, pushed Beates away, unholstered his gun and started giving Beates commands to stop. He noted he kept moving backward away from Beates, but he continued to charge at him.
Ramirez finally holstered his gun, grabbed his Taser and deployed it at Beates, striking him in the abdomen. The Taser was able to reach full “neuromuscular incapacitation” causing Beates to fall to the ground on his stomach where officers were able to take him into custody without further incident.