Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Four arrested after officers hurt in chase
Police asking that juvenile be charged as an adult
SPRINGDALE — Police arrested four people Friday in connection with two police officers who were hit and seriously injured while trying to stop a stolen car.
Arommon Luther, 18, of 1759 B Emily Circle, two 15-year-old males and a 17-year-old male 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, said Capt. Derek Hudson, a Springdale police spokesman, in a Friday afternoon news conference. Surveillance video shows the car swerving at the officers in two instances and traveling at high speeds, Hudson said.
Around 3:20 a.m. Friday, Springdale police received a call about suspicious people in the area of 707 Woodridge Drive. The caller said he was on his way home from work and could see 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 found several people in a stolen Nissan Altima with the headlights off. Officer Ashley Booth approached the car, and it fled at a high rate of speed,
striking Booth and throwing him onto the hood. Officer Annelisa Hoffman was also hit as the car sped away, according 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 homeowner in his vehicle head-on. All occupants of the stolen car fled on foot. A search ensued, involving a police dog. Hudson said police
are continuing the investigation because they think more people might have been in the area breaking into cars. Officers aren’t sure how many individuals were riding in the car.
Booth and Hoffman were taken to Northwest Medical Center-Springdale with severe, but nonlife-threatening injuries. No update on their conditions was available Friday evening.
The homeowner suffered minor injuries and wasn’t taken to a hospital, according the news release.
Hudson said Luther admitted to being in the stolen car, hitting the officers and leaving the scene of an accident.