The Associated Press
ROGERS, Ark. (AP) - A man fleeing police with his 2-year-old daughter in the car was caught after a county sheriff smashed the man’s Ford Taurus against a school bus.
Phillip Powell, 28, of Springdale was arrested at the end of the 20-minute chase Friday that began in Bentonville and ended in Rogers and involved several law enforcement agencies.
“I saw an opportunity to end a dangerous situation ... a life-threatening situation,” said Benton County Sheriff Keith Ferguson, who used his car to pin Powell’s car against the school bus.
No one was injured in the wreck.
Ferguson was headed to work when he heard of the pursuit on the radio and he joined the chase just before it ended. He said he decided to try to pin the car against the school bus when he saw there were no children on the bus. The driver of the bus was not injured.
He also said he believed crashing the Taurus was the best way to ensure the driver would not hurt the child.
“We knew he was a fleeing felon,” Ferguson said. “We didn’t know what harm would come to the baby.”
Pat Ord, store manager at Family Dollar, was in the front of the store when she heard sirens.
“I thought maybe a kid got run over,” she said.
Then she saw a police car jump the curb in front of the store.
“Hub caps went to flying,” she said.
Ord ran to the back of the store and saw the end of the pursuit.
“I said, ‘Oh my God, they had a child in the car.”’
The chase began shortly after 7:15 a.m. near S.E. 14th St. and Phyllis Drive when Bentonville Police officer Dana Winn tried to stop Powell and arrest him on outstanding warrants.
The Arkansas State Police joined the chase as did Bethel Heights officers and Lowell officers when the pursuit passed through those cities. A Bethel Heights patrol car was damaged in the chase. Police from Rogers and Bentonville also were involved in the chase.
Powell was jailed on felony charges of fleeing, endangering the welfare of a minor, violating his probation and violating his parole and misdemeanor charges of driving on a suspended drivers license, possession of a controlled substance, careless driving, failure to comply and improper lane change.
He was being held without bond on the parole violation charge, was given a $600 bond on the failure to comply charge and was cited on all other charges.