A man who police say may be armed and dangerous is on the run in Jefferson County. He is the one of two men who led police on a chase Monday evening. The other one is behind bars. Fox 16's LaTresha Woodruff tells us how this manhunt got started.
A report of a burglary in progress sparked the manhunt in Jefferson County. After a brief chase the two suspects got away but three hours later one of them, a 17 year old, was found in the woods. The whole ordeal had those who live in the area pretty shaken up.
Christy Ward just happened to look out her window around 2:30 Monday afternoon when she saw a truck speeding down her street with police in hot pursuit. "This red truck driving down going really fast, it came through my yard went off in the woods and the cops were right behind him. I came to the back door and the guy took off running through the woods," says Ward.
Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies with tracking dogs also ran off into the woods. The Arkansas State Police helicopter hovered above. The two suspects who jumped from the truck were believed to have been involved in an attempted burglary in the area.
At the time police had no idea who the two men were but they felt the situation could turn dangerous. "Anytime you have a burglary or something like that we take it serious there was a weapon recovered in the truck," says Lieutenant Steve McFatridge with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
After about three hours of combing the woods one of the suspects, a 17 year old boy, was found near an abandoned house on Princeton Pike and he was injured. "When the vehicle crashed as you can see the vehicle struck some trees and the windshield on the passenger side which we feel he was a passenger. It was an indentation in the windshield where he struck his head on the windshield," says McFatridge.
He received medical treatment and then taken into custody. Ward is thankful that the Sheriff's Department acted so fast and that her children were safe. "I was thankful my children weren't outside playing because it would have been bad if they had of."
Jefferson County Sheriff Deputies along with Whitehall Police and Arkansas State Police are searching for the second man involved in this incident. They say they have some strong leads and could have him in custody Monday night. Meanwhile, they're telling residents in the Princeton Pike area if they see a strange man do not approach him, call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department immediately.
