CAMDEN, Ark. — A deadbeat dad from El Dorado turned a simple traffic stop into a nightmare for four helpless kids under age 6, including a 4-month-old infant who was hurled from the vehicle when the SUV flipped during a high-speed chase.
Tyrice Fletcher, 28, a convicted felon, allegedly refused to pull over for a traffic violation around 3:15 p.m. on May 24 in Camden. Instead, the reckless moron floored it in his 2012 Toyota Highlander, hitting speeds over 100 mph as he barreled out of town onto Ouachita County Road 47.
Arkansas State Police troopers had no idea the car was packed with four young children until the chaotic crash. Fletcher lost control in a curve, plowed through a yard, slammed into a utility pole, and rolled over, sending the unrestrained baby flying out of the wreckage.
Miraculously, all four kids, the youngest just four months old, suffered only minor injuries and were rushed to a local hospital. Troopers raced to secure the children near dangerous live power lines after the wreck. The kids’ mother was notified and met them at the hospital.
Fletcher was hauled off to the Ouachita County Detention Center, where he now faces a mountain of charges: felony fleeing, four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, possession of a defaced firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief, reckless driving, no driver’s license, no seatbelt, improper passing, and four counts of failing to restrain child passengers.
Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar blasted the idiot driver, calling the behavior “disgusting” and urging parents not to flee with kids in the car.“We’ve got a real problem right now with people fleeing from law enforcement,” Hagar said. “There needs to be a conversation... to where this behavior is absolutely condemned.”
Troopers tried twice to end the pursuit safely with tactical vehicle interventions (PIT maneuvers) before Fletcher wrecked himself. State police released edited dashcam video showing the high-speed insanity, and praised their officers for quickly rescuing the terrified children after the rollover.
The incident has sparked fresh outrage over suspects who put innocent kids in harm’s way to avoid cops, with authorities making it crystal clear: the danger came from Fletcher’s deadly decision to run, not from police doing their jobs.
