HAZEN, Ark. — A high-speed pursuit exceeding 100 mph along Interstate 40 ended with a suspect’s vehicle and an Arkansas State Police patrol car stranded in the median on Sept. 11 after a trooper executed a tactical vehicle intervention (TVI), according to an incident report.
Trooper Rafael Garcia reported that the maneuver caused the fleeing car, a silver 2010 Ford Focus, to spin and strike his patrol vehicle, sending both cars into the median in Prairie County. Two individuals were arrested at the scene after the incident, which occurred around 10:51 a.m.
The driver was identified as Anna Marie Seeman, 30, of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. A passenger, initially uncooperative in identifying himself, was later determined to be 28-year-old Matthew Arron Thomas Vittitow, according to the report.
The situation began when Garcia stopped the Ford near the westbound entrance ramp at mile marker 193 for a driver’s-side brake light that was out. While he was trying to confirm the passenger’s identity—who twice gave false names—Seeman reportedly put the car in drive and fled.
As the pursuit continued westbound on I-40, Seeman wove through traffic and used the shoulder to pass vehicles while allegedly reaching speeds over 100 mph in a 75 mph zone. Garcia wrote that he waited for traffic to clear before initiating the TVI, using the front-right bumper of his vehicle to contact the Ford’s left-rear fender. The maneuver caused the Ford to spin counterclockwise, collide briefly with the patrol car, and come to a stop in the median.
A cable barrier post was also damaged in the incident, with the suspect's vehicle sustaining an estimated $5,000 in damage and the trooper’s patrol car incurring approximately $7,500 in damage. Garcia said he did not call emergency medical services, as neither Seeman nor Vittitow appeared injured.
Both suspects were transported to the Prairie County Jail. Seeman was placed on a probable-cause hold, facing charges including felony fleeing in a vehicle, reckless driving, improper lane use, driving on a suspended license, and having defective tail lamps. Vittitow was charged with obstructing governmental operations for allegedly providing false identification.
The Prairie County incident report offered no details about bond amounts, court dates, or the current status of the cases.
All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.