High-speed chase ends in West Memphis

Pair arrested on slate of charges following TVI maneuver to end pursuit

By the Times Staff

news@theeveningtimes.com

Two Tennessee men were arrested by Arkansas State Police on Saturday after a high-speed pursuit of a car they allegedly stole ended in with a tactical vehicle intervention, authorities said.

Kylan Cunningham, 23, of Drummonds, Tenn., and the passenger, Tre’Von Burnett, 23, of Covington, Tenn., were arrested shortly before midnight when the pursuit, which reached speeds of of more than 100 mph, ended near the intersection of the Interstate 55 North Service Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in West Memphis, according to Arkansas State Police.

At approximately 11:36 p.m., a trooper began a pursuit of a black 2021 Ford Mustang, police said. Witnesses had reported the car had been driving recklessly and nearly caused collisions.

The pursuit passed through the Broadway Boulevard and Martin Luther King Drive intersection, before continuing on the Interstate 55 South Service Road, police said.

The suspect vehicle turned north onto the North Service Road as it continued to flee.

As it approached the intersection of the I-55 North Service Road and MLK, a trooper performed the tactical intervention maneuver — referred to by state police as a TVI — to end the pursuit, according to police.

Both Cunningham and Burnett left the car and fled into a field, where they were located by authorities, police said.

In the stolen vehicle, troopers found a loaded black Taurus handgun, multiple vehicle key fobs, a vehicle key programming device and illegal marijuana, according to a media release.

In addition to the car, the gun had been reported as stolen, police said.

Cunningham was charged with multiple felony counts, including illegal possession of a firearm, fleeing, theft by receiving, and criminal conspiracy, among other charges.

Burnett’s felony charges include theft by receiving and criminal conspiracy.

The use of the ramming tactic to end a highway pursuit resulted in three deaths in just over two months in 2023.

As the number of state police pursuits rose by nearly half — from 404 to 591 — from 2019 to 2020, troopers’ use of the ramming tactic, one of several ways troopers are trained to intervene to end pursuits, also soared. In the same time period, use of the practice rose by 100%, from 83 uses to 166, data from the state police shows.

From 2016 to 2022, the number of PITs and TVIs used rose by 387%, while the number of pursuits rose by 86%.