A car chase involving Tennessee and Arkansas law enforcement and two kidnapping suspects ended Tuesday morning with one suspect dead, one arrested and the victim retrieved from the trunk of the car, authorities said.
After responding to a kidnapping call early Tuesday morning, Memphis police officers chased two kidnapping suspects into Arkansas and later fatally shot one of the suspects while trying to arrest them, a news release from the Memphis Police Department said.
Neither of the suspects were identified, nor was the 61-year-old victim, who officers found in the trunk of the fleeing car. Three police officers -- also not identified Tuesday -- were "routinely relieved of duty" until the internal investigation into the use of force is complete, the release said.
Around midnight Tuesday, Memphis police officers responded to a robbery and kidnapping call in the area of Court Avenue and North Avalon Street, where witnesses said two people forced a man into the trunk of their car and drove away in a white Nissan, a news release from the Memphis Police Department said.
Officers spotted the car near Madison Avenue and North Cleveland Street and tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver got onto Interstate 40 toward Arkansas, the release said. Officers notified Arkansas State Police and West Memphis Police of the car and kept pursuing.
The driver exited I-40 onto Mound City Road in West Memphis and then reentered the interstate on the eastbound side, the release said. An Arkansas State Police trooper executed a pursuit intervention technique maneuver on the vehicle near mile marker 283 near an Arkansas Department of Transportation weigh station, according to a release from the Arkansas State Police.
A pursuit intervention technique, or tactical intervention, allows an officer to stop a fleeing vehicle, usually by ramming it.
The two suspects attempted to run, but the driver was arrested quickly, the report said. The passenger ran away and Memphis police officers fatally shot the person.
"The passenger of the car jumped the concrete divider wall and was pursued by officers on foot," the release said. "During the officer and suspect's encounter, shots were fired by officers. The suspect was shot and pronounced deceased on the scene. The officers were not injured."
The release did not say whether either of the suspects were armed.
Officers found the victim in the trunk of the vehicle, the release said. First responders treated him for minor injuries.
Because the fatal shooting happened west of the state line, Arkansas State Police will investigate the officers' use of deadly force, the release said. The investigative report will be turned over to the Crittenden County prosecuting attorney to determine whether the use of force was justified.
Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said the state trooper was "within his realm of responsibility" when he stopped the car in Arkansas, and that law enforcement agencies occasionally cross state lines during pursuits.
"It's happened before," he said. "I don't recall one ending this way in the 23 years I've been here."
Information for this report was provided by Josh Snyder of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 01/01/2020