18-Year-Old Charged After 120 MPH Hot Springs Chase Leaves Five Seriously Injured

An 18-year-old man has been charged after a high-speed pursuit in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 18 ended when a silver Toyota Avalon struck a culvert and left five passengers seriously injured, four of them juveniles. Prosecutors filed five counts of first-degree battery and a felony fleeing charge in late September, more than five months after the crash.

What Happened

According to a probable cause affidavit by Arkansas State Police Trooper Richard Davis and reporting by Arkansas Breaking News, Hot Springs police initially attempted to stop the Avalon shortly after 11 p.m. The vehicle later passed Trooper Davis in the 2100 block of Airport Road heading west at an estimated 120 mph with its headlights off. Davis activated his emergency lights and followed.

The affidavit states the Avalon ran a red light and again reached roughly 120 mph near U.S. Highway 70 West and Adam Brown Road. On a curve near Dusty Lane the car nearly collided head-on with an eastbound vehicle before leaving the roadway and striking a culvert at a private driveway in the 4100 block of Highway 70 West. Trooper Davis’ citation recorded a radar reading of 105 mph in a 50 mph zone.

Injuries and Aftermath

All five surviving passengers were seriously injured. Four were juveniles. The affidavit describes the injuries as follows:

• An 18-year-old passenger was airlifted to UAMS for surgery with a traumatic brain injury, brain bleeding, and fractures to the back, right leg and collarbone.
• One juvenile suffered broken vertebrae and a laceration to his leg.
• Another juvenile sustained a spinal fracture and facial cuts.
• A third juvenile sustained a fractured hip, a collapsed lung and multiple broken ribs.
• A juvenile girl was flown to a children’s hospital with a traumatic brain injury and remained in an induced coma for two months; by July 30 she had awakened but still could neither walk nor speak. The affidavit states, "It is unknown if she will ever be able to talk or walk again."

Four people, including the accused driver, were ejected from the vehicle; an 18-year-old passenger became trapped on the rear floorboard. The accused driver, identified in charging documents as Kaleb Jeremy Paul O'Loughlin, also suffered catastrophic injuries. Court filings in a separate Hot Spring County case say he was hospitalized in a coma with a fractured spine, a broken neck and a traumatic brain injury and would require months of rehabilitation.

Charges, Court Proceedings And Related Case

Garland County warrants were issued July 31. A Garland County booking record published Aug. 14 lists the Sheriff's Office as the arresting agency and describes several booking-stage allegations; those initial booking allegations differ somewhat from the charges prosecutors ultimately filed. O'Loughlin appeared by video in Garland County District Court on Aug. 17, where a judge found probable cause and set bond at $150,000; he posted bond and was released Aug. 23.

Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence filed a circuit court case on Sept. 29 charging O'Loughlin with five counts of first-degree battery—one for each passenger—and felony fleeing. Traffic-related allegations from the pursuit remain pending in district court. The circuit case was assigned to Judge Meredith Switzer; at filing no defense attorney or hearing date was listed in the circuit docket.

The April crash also intersected with an earlier prosecution. When the Avalon crashed, O'Loughlin was already free on bond in a Hot Spring County prosecution arising from an Oct. 13, 2025 incident near Malvern. Prosecutors allege that when he was 17 he and others kicked in the door of an occupied residence and stole a PlayStation and a speaker; he was charged as an adult with aggravated residential burglary, theft of property and criminal mischief. A judge granted a $5,000 signature bond in November; initial conditions included house arrest and an ankle monitor, the latter of which was removed by agreed order the next month. That burglary case had been scheduled for trial May 21 but was continued after O'Loughlin's injuries. The Hot Spring County matter is scheduled for a hearing on Oct. 7.

Ongoing Matters

Investigations and separate court proceedings remain pending in both Garland and Hot Spring counties. Reporting cited the trooper's affidavit and Arkansas Breaking News as sources for the timeline and injuries.

Note: This account reflects allegations from law enforcement and charging documents. Charges are accusations; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.