The Arkansas State Police says they are conducting an internal review and investigation into the death of a Kentucky man who fled from an Arkansas State Trooper on July 24 during a pursuit that started in Forrest City.
19-year-old John Bomar, who was the driver of the vehicle, died after what police are calling legal intervention by a state trooper was used to stop the vehicle. State law enforcement says that the vehicle was being operated recklessly and endangering other drivers.
An investigation of the incident will be submitted to a prosecuting attorney of jurisdiction who will decide whether the use of deadly force by the state police was consistent with state laws.
At around 4:35 p.m., the state trooper initiated a traffic stop with Bomar following a traffic violation, according to police, Bomar exited Interstate 40’s eastbound lanes at Forrest City and turned northbound onto State Highway 1, increasing his speed to an excess of 100 miles per hour, according to police.
At around the Cross County and St. Francis County line, a state trooper used the PIT (precision intervention technique) maneuver which led Bomar’s vehicle to crash into a nearby farm field.
According to state law enforcement, troopers and other law enforcement officials administered life-saving measures to Bomar, the only occupant of the vehicle. Bomar was later transported by ambulance to a Wynne hospital where he was pronounced dead.