Corvette Driver Flees Cops at 156 mph, Crashes, Then Says He’ll ‘Just Buy Another One’

A Chevrolet Corvette driver in Arkansas allegedly led state troopers on a 156 mph (251 km/h) chase after a routine traffic stop for an expired registration turned into a triple-digit interstate pursuit. The pursuit began on the morning of June 15 near the 55-mile marker on northbound Interstate 55 in Mississippi County, Arkansas, when Trooper Arellano spotted a red Corvette with a license plate cover that did not obscure the plate or reduce reflectivity. A registration check revealed the tag had expired months earlier.

When the trooper activated emergency lights, the Corvette accelerated rapidly, reaching speeds over 150 mph (241 km/h) and ultimately 156 mph (251 km/h) as it fled into Missouri. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers deployed stop sticks, but the Corvette driver ran over them with the left-side tires and continued for several more miles before crashing into the pursuing trooper’s vehicle. The collision disabled both cars.

The driver, identified as 28-year-old Jayden Atreeyian Smith of West Point, Mississippi, exited the Corvette with a backpack, attempted to flee on foot, and was later apprehended in a nearby field. Inside the backpack, officers found two Ram TRX key fobs, one Dodge SRT key fob, and Smith’s driver’s license. A search of the Corvette allegedly uncovered 0.12 grams of suspected marijuana.

While being placed into a patrol vehicle, Smith reportedly told officers he wasn’t worried about losing the Corvette because he would “simply buy another one.” Smith faces multiple charges including felony fleeing creating a substantial danger of death, felony fleeing on foot resulting in injury, reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, no liability insurance, expired registration, improper display of tags, and other traffic offenses.