An Arkansas woman and her toddler are fortunate to be alive after their vehicle spun out, flipped, and crashed during a high-speed police chase. The Dodge Charger was captured on video rolling into a side embankment before coming to rest upside down, with a three-year-old boy emerging from the wreckage moments later.
The Incident
Thalia Jones, 23, was driving at 80 mph in a 55 mph zone on Highway 118 in Joiner, Arkansas, about 150 miles east of Little Rock near the Tennessee border. She refused to pull over for a state trooper, according to Mississippi County Sheriffs. Her three-year-old son was in the back seat when the trooper performed a PIT maneuver, which nudges the rear corner of a vehicle to send it spinning to a halt.
After several minutes, Jones pried open the rear door of the crushed vehicle as the officer demanded she emerge with her hands in the air. "My baby's coming out first," she yelled back. Body camera footage captured the crying toddler waddling out of the car in distress. The toddler ran toward the trooper, who told him, "you're okay, come right here, baby."
Aftermath and Arrest
Following the officer's instructions, Jones crawled out of the vehicle and pulled herself toward him with her hands in the air. After consoling the boy, the trooper berated Jones for driving recklessly with her son in the car. "Why did you run from me with a baby in the car?" he asked. Jones admitted she fled because she was driving her boyfriend's car and did not have a valid license.
"You could've killed your child," the officer said. "Do you understand? That was the stupidest thing you've ever done in your life." Jones apologized, but the officer continued, "That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen." Police placed Jones in handcuffs, patted her down, and searched her vehicle. She asked to call someone to pick up her baby.
Charges and Custody
Jones and her son were cleared by EMS at the scene, according to WREG. Police reports obtained by KSDK indicate the boy was released to the custody of Jones's mother. Jones faces charges including fleeing a police officer, speeding, driving on a suspended license, reckless driving, unauthorized use of property, and endangering the welfare of a minor. The Daily Mail contacted the Arkansas State Police for further information.
