Arkansas man charged with attempted capital murder for tossing Molotov cocktails at officers

HUNTSVILLE, Ark. — A Huntsville, Arkansas, man is facing a host of charges after police said he bombarded them with homemade Molotov cocktails during a chase through Madison County on Friday.

Daniel Joseph Harvey, 32, is charged with two counts of attempted capital murder, four counts of terroristic act, one count of aggravated assault, one count felony fleeing, one count resisting arrest, one count of speeding 50 mph over the speed limit, one count of leaving the scene of a property damage accident and one count of reckless driving, KNWA reported.

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Harvey has a battery charge pending against him from an Oct. 1 incident in which he reportedly tried to stab Lt. Mike Sloan, a sheriff’s deputy, and threw a Molotov cocktail at him, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

According to a Madison County Sheriff’s Office news release, a “suspicious vehicle” pulled into the parking lot of the Madison County Holding Facility at around 10:40 a.m. Friday, and Sloan, who made contact with the driver, recognized him as Harvey. Sloan stated that Harvey made disturbing comments, brandished a knife and sped away.

“He stated we were after him and ‘federal arbitration’ were after him,” Sloan wrote in the incident report.

Harvey then stopped his vehicle after a short distance and tossed the homemade incendiary device at the deputy as he was exiting his patrol car. The Molotov cocktail ignited on the street beside the officer’s vehicle, at which point Harvey exited his vehicle brandishing a machete. The deputy used his stun gun on Harvey with no effect, and Harvey re-entered his vehicle and drove away with officers in pursuit, the release stated.

“Harvey stopped at several locations on streets in Huntsville and threw Molotov cocktails at the patrol vehicles causing them to ignite on the city streets,” the sheriff’s office stated.

At one point, Harvey is accused of sideswiping a Huntsville Police Department cruiser, before leading officers on a “high-speed pursuit” on Highway 23 North and ultimately pulling into his own driveway, exiting the vehicle and brandishing the machete again. He eventually complied with officer commands to drop the machete and was arrested, the release stated.

No injuries were reported during the incident, KNWA reported.

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