Joey Simmons II Obituary, Death; – A man from Memphis lost his life on Wednesday morning in a collision on U.S. 65 in Van Buren County after he lost control of his vehicle while discharging a firearm at an Arkansas State Police trooper in pursuit, according to a news release from the agency.
Joey Simmons II, aged 23, fired at the trooper from within his Toyota Camry while recklessly fleeing at speeds reaching 100 mph on the highway around 7:45 a.m., as stated in the release. He ultimately lost control of his vehicle, veering off the road and crashing into a wooded area, resulting in his ejection from the Toyota.
The pursuit commenced south of Bee Branch after troopers recognized his vehicle as being involved in convenience store robberies in Conway and Damascus. During the chase, Simmons accelerated, overtook other vehicles on the right side, utilized the center turn lane, and entered oncoming traffic, as detailed in the release.
No state troopers sustained injuries during the pursuit, and none returned fire, the release indicates. Simmons was declared dead at the crash site.
Records indicate that Simmons is the fourth individual in 2025 to die while attempting to evade the Arkansas State Police. In the entirety of 2024, six individuals lost their lives while fleeing from state police, with the same number recorded in chases during 2023.
By the end of May this year, state troopers had engaged in 171 pursuits, according to records provided by the state police. In 2024, troopers were involved in 553 pursuits, a decrease from the 620 pursuits documented in 2023.
