Arkansas State Police say that a Cleburne County man opened fire on an Arkansas State Trooper on March 28 during a traffic stop along Arkansas Highway 214 near the Highway 326 intersection north of Russellville.
State Police say that 31-year-old Landon Loyd starting shooting at an Arkansas State Trooper who approached his pickup truck in a ditch off the highway.
According to state police, as the trooper exited the vehicle, Loyd opened fire and the trooper returned fire. Loyd fled on foot into a wooded area, police say, but was apprehended a short time later by the state trooper and also a Pope County Sheriff’s Department deputy.
The trooper was not injured in the gunfire exchange and neither was Loyd, police say.
The state trooper has been placed on administrative leave as is the case in any officer involved shooting according to state police policies and procedures. The state police’s criminal investigation division will investigate the use of deadly force and turn over an investigative file to the Pope County prosecuting attorney, who will determine whether the use of force was consistent with state laws.
Loyd, a Cleburne County resident, is being held at the Pope County Jail on a charge of attempted capital murder.