FORREST CITY, Ark. — (Eds. note: The video attached is from a Nov. 2021 report on a lawsuit settlement regarding Arkansas State Police and the use of PIT maneuvers.)
A 19-year-old Kentucky man died after his car landed in a farm field following a PIT maneuver by an Arkansas State trooper.
John Bomar was reportedly being pursued by an Arkansas State Police trooper that began in Forrest City on Sunday, July 24.
The pursuit began around 4:35 p.m. after the trooper tried to pull over Bomar for a "traffic violation," who then exited I-40 and turned north onto Arkansas Highway 1.
Police say he was driving faster than 100 miles per hour during the chase.
Near the line of St. Francis and Cross counties, the trooper used a PIT maneuver on Bomar's car which caused it to "exit the highway" and land in a farm field.
Troopers and other officials attempted to save the life of Bomar, but he was pronounced dead at a Wynne hospital.
Arkansas State Police called the use of the PIT maneuver "legal intervention" to stop the vehicle "which was being operated recklessly and endangering other motorists."
The incident is being investigated by the Arkansas State Police and the prosecuting attorney of that jurisdiction will "decide whether the use of deadly force" was consistent under state law.
In November 2021, Arkansas State Police settled a lawsuit after a trooper used the PIT maneuver on a woman's vehicle. The policy to use the maneuver was changed to say that a trooper could utilize it when they believe "it is objectively reasonable" to protect people or an officer from "imminent death or serious physical injury."
We will update this article with more information as it becomes available.