Driver fleeing Texarkana officer hits, kills motorcyclist on State Line Avenue

TEXARKANA — A motorcyclist was reported dead Wednesday night after a driver who had been found passed out at the wheel sped away from a Texarkana, Arkansas, police officer and struck the motorcycle at State Line Avenue and Realtor Ave.

The car caught fire after the crash, and the driver ran from the scene. Police continue to search for the suspect.

The incident began about 9:27 p.m., when a Texarkana Arkansas Police Department officer reported a car sitting in a turn lane at State Line Avenue and Arkansas Boulevard. The officer told dispatchers the driver was passed out with the vehicle in gear and his foot on the brake.

At about 9:29 p.m., the officer reported the driver woke up and took off, cutting through a nearby CVS parking lot at a high rate of speed before heading north on State Line Avenue. The officer reported a speed of 63 mph moments before the crash.

“He just wrecked out,” the officer said over the radio at 9:30 p.m., giving the location as State Line and Realtor.

Within seconds, officers reported the car was on fire and asked dispatchers to send the fire department. Officers initially believed the driver was trapped inside the burning car but soon reported he was not in the vehicle.

An officer arriving at the scene reported the car had struck a motorcycle and that the rider had died. Officers and firefighters performed CPR at the intersection, according to radio traffic.

Texarkana Texas firefighters responded first, followed by Arkansas-side engines and a battalion chief. Fire crews extinguished the car by about 9:45 p.m.

State Line Ave. remains closed as of 11:30 p.m.

Officers searched a nearby hotel, requested a drone and described the driver as a Black man wearing a white shirt. Police asked dispatchers to notify area hospitals in case he sought treatment.

No details have been released by police at this time.