Driver attempts to avoid police checkpoint - Pursuit ends with PIT MANEUVER by Arkansas State Police

Report: (edited due to length)

On November 9, 2024, Trooper Gonten, Trooper Williams and I were conducting a sobriety checkpoint on County Road 69 at
the old County Quarry. A silver SUV came down the hill traveling southbound toward the checkpoint but stopped in the road
approximately 100 yards away. The silver SUV began to back up the hill traveling northbound in the southbound lane. As I
began to get into my patrol unit, the SUV turned around at the bottom of a hillcrest. As I topped the hillcrest, I observed the
SUV crossing the center yellow line, on a left-hand curve, traveling northbound.
I activated my emergency lights at the intersection of County Road 69 and Old Military. The silver SUV made a left turn onto
Old Military. At this time, the vehicle was traveling westbound, at a low rate of speed. The driver was sitting up on the center
console area and reaching over into the passenger seat area. When the driver returned to the driver’s seat, I performed a
tactical vehicle intervention to stop the vehicle before it was able to reach a higher speed. The TVI was successful in stopping
the vehicle but was able to recover.

Trooper Gonten took lead in the pursuit, and I became the second unit. Trooper Gonten called out just south of County Road
69 that the driver had thrown something from the vehicle. I called it out and Trooper Williams, who was behind me, noted on the
radio the item thrown from the vehicle was black and had landed on the center yellow line.
As the SUV attempted to turn onto County Road 69 the driver began to lose control and ran off the road, recovering and then
re-entering the roadway. Speeds during this time reached over 70 MPH- as we traveled northbound on State Highway 5 past
the soccer complex. The driver, again, was hanging out the window, driving very erratically and crossing the centerline with
oncoming traffic. As a result of the suspect’s reckless driving- the oncoming traffic was forced to drive on the shoulder of their
lane to avoid collision with the silver SUV.

The suspect began to climb out the driver side window, in attempt to flee. Trooper Williams exited his patrol unit and held the
suspect at gun point. When the suspect began to attempt to get back into the driver’s seat, Trooper Williams and I removed the
suspect from the vehicle. The suspect was intentionally grounded by Trooper Williams and I. The suspect was still fighting and
would not submit to arrest, continually attempting to keep his arms under his body. As we were able to get one arm out the
suspect would attempt to roll over. In order to place handcuffs- Trooper Gonten, Trooper Williams and I all had to restrain the
suspect. The suspect was then identified as Nicholas Koskinen and was checked out by BRMC ambulance, he refused
treatment.

Located in the passenger floorboard was a large glass jar containing marijuana, two edible gummies and a rubber container of
THC wax. In the suspects hoodie, located in the driver seat, was a used syringe. The item the suspect threw out the window
was located, by Trooper Gonten and myself, on the side of the road across from address 5329 Highway 5 south which was a
black plastic baggie with the following items inside: a plastic baggie with 5 capsule type pills and a white plastic case. Inside the
case was two more plastic baggies, one containing 2 more capsules. The capsules had a white powdered type of substance
that appeared to be fentanyl. The other baggie contained a dark purplish square item being an unknown substance.

5-65-105 Driving DWI Suspended A Misdemeanor
27-22-104(a)(2) Failure to present insurance unclassified Misdemeanor
27-37-702 No seat belt unclassified Misdemeanor
27-50-302(a)(2) Reckless driving A Misdemeanor
5-64-419(b)(5)(A) Possession controlled substance sch 6 A Misdemeanor
5-64-443(a)(1) Possession drug paraphernalia A Misdemeanor
5-64-443(a)(2) Possession drug paraphernalia meth D Felony
5-64-419(b)(1)(A) Possession controlled substance meth D Felony
5-73-102 Possession instrument of crime A Misdemeanor
5-65-103 DWI 2nd drugs
5-54-125 (d)(3) 2023 Fleeing felony vehicle D Felony
5-54-103(a) Resisting arrest A Misdemeanor
5-64-421(b)(3) Possession of fentanyl with purpose to deliver A Felony