TONTITOWN (KFSM) — Tontitown Police arrested a man after they say he dragged an officer 70 feet before running over him.
About 1:20 a.m. Dec. 30, Tontitown police responded to reports of an intoxicated driver in a Ford pickup who was seen urinating in a McDonald's parking lot.
Officers arrived and asked the driver to exit his vehicle, but he refused and began to speed away. As the vehicle began to move, the officer’s equipment caught on the driver’s side door, dragging the officer.
The officer was pulled behind the truck for 70 feet before being thrown free onto the ground. The truck then ran over the officer with the rear driver’s side tire. The pickup then fled on U.S. 412 toward Springdale, police said. The officer was able to give a description of the vehicle and driver and the direction of travel before asking for an ambulance to treat his injuries.
The officer was treated for non-life threatening injuries at Washington Regional Medical Center and was released. Police said the officer’s right leg and hip were run over by the truck.
A “Be on the Lookout” was sent out with a description of the vehicle. Deputies with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office were able to find the Ford at a residence on Robbins Road north of Elm Springs in Springdale.
The suspect, 54-year-old Eddie Lee Marchant, was found inside a pull trailer at that address. He was arrested and taken to the Washington County Detention Center, where he is being held on charges of first-degree battery, felony aggravated assault, felony leaving the scene of an injury accident and fleeing. His bond hearing is set for Jan. 2 at 7:45 a.m.
The suspect has been identified as 54-year-old Eddie Lee Marchant. He was arrested and taken to the Washington County Detention Center.
