‘Absolutely inexcusable;’ Man arrested after leading police on chase with infant in car
A man took off from police who said he was driving with no license plate Sunday.
As reported by Mike Campbell on News Center 7 at 6 p.m., investigators said this pursuit put more than just the driver and officers in danger.
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At 4:42 p.m. on Sunday, Englewood Police officers attempted to stop a pickup truck without a license plate leaving Walmart on Hoke Road.
The driver didn’t pull over and a pursuit began.
“The entire pursuit lasted about three and a half minutes, it went about three and a half miles,” Englewood Police Sergeant Mike Lang said.
Police identified the driver as 36-year-old Joshua Thompson. A woman and an infant were inside the truck with Thompson throughout the entire pursuit.
Thompson eventually turned into the parking lot of an apartment complex in Clayton.
Cruiser camera footage shows the vehicle smashing into a grassy embankment and Thompson jumping out and running into a wooded area.
“No license plate, driving with a suspended driver’s license, absolutely inexcusable,” Lang said.
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Thompson isn’t just facing traffic tickets, he’s also looking at felony criminal charges and is currently behind bars in Montgomery County.
“Prosecutors approved charges of failure to comply as well as a misdemeanor charge of endangering children because there was a female and an infant in the car with him in the entire pursuit,” Lang said.
Police told News Center 7 that during the foot chase, Thompson ran into a house in a Clayton neighborhood.
He may have known someone inside, but officers convinced him to come out.
Thompson was arrested at 5:56 p.m. by Englewood officers, according to jail records.
Lang said at this point, whether police ended the chase or not, there was no escaping.
“It’s truly better, it’s 2024, we’re going to identify you, we’re going to charge you with it, let’s just get it over and done with, without putting other people in danger,” Lang said.
Police say Thompson shouldn’t have been on the road at all.
Thompson is in custody at the Montgomery County Jail and has a bond of $77,500, according to jail records.
