LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) – New details are emerging about a car chase that crossed state lines, ending with a crash and an arrest.
Videos of the arrest were posted to social media and sparked concern over the officers’ treatment of the driver.
Kendrick Jones, 39, of Lumberton was arrested in connection with the chase on several charges- including fleeing arrest with a motor vehicle and possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a police report said.
The chase began around 4:45 p.m. Oct. 18, when a Lumberton detective tried to pull over a car on Highway 72, according to the police report.
The detective believed the car was involved in a drug deal at a convenience store, the report continued. But when the detective tried to pull the car over, the driver allegedly failed to stop and led authorities on a chase. Police said it continued into South Carolina.
The chase ended with what the report called a ‘vehicle collision’ on Lupo Road in Lake View, SC. Video posted to Facebook of the incident shows the 2000 Lincoln Town Car flipped on its side as authorities detained Jones.
Jones’ sister, Vanessa Hayes Dawkins, posted videos on social media about her concerns over his treatment. She said he appeared to be beaten like he was a dog because police couldn’t catch him. The video shows Jones being pulled and pinned down to the ground from his overturned Lincoln and then dragged along the ground away from the car backward by his handcuffed arms.
Authorities found an AR-15 rifle in the vehicle, along with MDMA and a black digital scale, the report detailed. Jones was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a weapon of mass destruction, fleeing/eluding arrest with a motor vehicle, driving with license revoked, unsafe passing over a yellow live, reckless driving to endanger and resisting a public officer.
He was detained at Robeson County Jail and held on a $75,000 bond.
Lumberton Police offered this statement regarding the incident: “The pursuit was justified until it crossed over into the State of South Carolina,” Major Tommy Barnes wrote. “Upon review of the chase, there was no signage indicating a state line boundary at any point along the path of the pursuit. At the end of the pursuit, the suspect refused to comply with commands given by officers and refused to exit the vehicle. The suspect resisted officers as they tried to remove the suspect from the overturned vehicle and officers could not see the suspect’s hands.”
Jones appears to be raising money for legal fees associated with the incident on a Facebook fundraiser called ‘Legal Fees for Kendrick Jones Police Brutality Case!’
Count on News13 for updates on this story.
