The Arkansas State Police say they arrested a Garland County man after a two-hour standoff with state troopers and local law enforcement on Interstate 40 in West Memphis on Wednesday.
State Police say that 47-year-old Charles Ray Skinner, Jr. of Lonsdale is being charged with aggravated assault, carrying a weapon, resisting arrest, parking on a highway and obstructing governmental operations. A Crittenden County law enforcement special response team placed Skinner into custody and then turned him over to state troopers, who transported him to the county jail.
According to the State Police, they received reports shortly before 6:40 p.m. of a vehicle parked in a westbound lane of I-40 causing traffic to be blocked at the 279 mile marker. According to reports, the driver was said to be armed with a pistol and had pointed the gun at drivers who exited their vehicles following a minor traffic crash.
State Police say that after state troopers and local law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, east and westbound traffic was blocked as a safety precaution. According to State Police, repeated orders from law enforcement officers directed to Skinner to exit the vehicle were ignored, leading the State Police to request a Crittenden County armored vehicle and special response team to be called to the scene. The armored truck approached Skinner’s vehicle and officers directed irritant gas into the car, causing Skinner to exit and surrender.
Traffic was reopened on the interstate at around 8:30 p.m.