PRESS RELEASE

JULY 25, 2022

The Arkansas State Police is conducting an internal review and investigation into the death of a Kentucky man who fled from an Arkansas State Trooper yesterday (Sunday, July 24th) during a pursuit that began in Forrest City.

John Bomar, 19, the driver of the vehicle, died after legal intervention by a state trooper was used to stop the vehicle which was being operated recklessly and endangering other motorists.

At approximately 4:35 PM, a traffic violation led the trooper to initiate a traffic stop when Bomar exited the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 at Forrest City and turned north onto Arkansas Highway 1, increasing his speed to more than 100 miles per hour.  Near the St. Francis and Cross County line, a state trooper executed a precision intervention technique which led to Bomar’s vehicle to exit the highway in an easterly direction into a farm field.

State troopers and other law enforcement officers administered life saving measures to Bomar who was the only occupant of the vehicle.  He was transported by ambulance to a Wynne hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.  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 Arkansas State Police was consistent with Arkansas laws.