It started, as these things often do, with something almost boring. An Arkansas State Police trooper working traffic on Interstate 55 clocked a red Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray with a suspiciously covered license plate. According to NEA Report, a quick database check showed the registration had lapsed. Then the trooper hit his lights, and the driver made a choice to lead the police on a 150 mph chase that would eventually end with him handcuffed on a highway shoulder, casually shrugging about buying a new Corvette like it only cost spare change.
The Chase
Things escalated when the Corvette didn’t stop or acknowledge the trooper’s sirens and lights. Smoke reportedly came out of the Stingray’s quad exhausts as the driver, later identified as Jayden Smith, mashed the throttle and turned a routine plate check into a full-blown pursuit. The trooper’s radar clocked speeds north of 150 mph, eventually topping out at 156 mph. Smith didn’t just outrun one police force, either. He crossed the state line into Missouri, where troopers were waiting with tire spikes near an exit ramp. The spikes did their job, shredding the Corvette’s left side tires and finally forcing Smith to slow down and take the off-ramp.
As the trooper pulled alongside to attempt a pit maneuver, Smith stood on the brakes without warning. The patrol car’s front end met the Corvette’s rear quarter, and both cars ended up disabled on the shoulder. Smith bailed out on foot, backpack in tow, and sprinted through a field before the trooper caught up and cuffed him.
The Aftermath
While being loaded into the patrol car, Smith reportedly shrugged off the loss of his Corvette, saying he’d simply buy another one. Bold talk for a guy in handcuffs. Then police searched the backpack. Inside, they found two Ram TRX key fobs and one Dodge SRT key fob, alongside a tiny amount of marijuana. Whether those keys belonged to other vehicles he owned or something murkier remains unclear. Smith now faces a laundry list of charges, from felony fleeing to reckless driving, and Arkansas State Police say they’ll seek restitution for the damaged patrol car. The Corvette, presumably, is done for.
