WHITE COUNTY, Ark. (KTHV) - A White County Detective had a strange run in with an alleged vehicle thief.
According to Corporal Steve Hernandez, Jerry Wayne Smith, II, 40, was arrested and charged with Aggravated Robbery and Second-Degree Battery after he slammed a car into Detective Jeff Williams' truck and tried to steal another.
Hernandez said Smith ran into the driver's side of Williams' truck with a 1993 Buick Century that had been reported stolen earlier Thursday morning and then tried to flee after the Buick was disabled.
Smith ran over to another truck that had stopped after the accident and tried to pull the driver out but couldn't because of the driver's seatbelt; Smith tried to get in and drive off anyway, said Hernandez.
Williams stopped Smith by shooting out the truck's front tire. Smith immediately tried to pull a driver out of another vehicle, but Williams was able to stop and arrest him before he made a getaway.
Smith and Williams were taken to the White County Medical Center for injuries sustained from the accident, which is being investigated by the Arkansas State Police.
Smith is being held in lieu of $100,000 with the possibility of more charges in the near future. Authorities did not know if he had an attorney.