Man in custody after police pursuit ends on I-65 in Bullitt County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A man was arrested after a police chase ended in a standoff Monday afternoon on Interstate 65 in Bullitt County. 

Jeffersonville Police said 55-year-old Arnold Jeffrey Thomas, of Louisville, carjacked a person in the parking lot of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library on East Court Avenue around 1:45 p.m.

Investigators said Jeffrey pulled out a gun, told the victim to get out of their car and drove off.

Clarksville Police then saw the stolen car driving on I-65 northbound, before Thomas exited and switched to I-65 southbound. 

Jeffersonville Police said officers tried to pull over Thomas, but he didn't stop, leading police further south into Kentucky.

Louisville Metro Police joined the pursuit, followed by the Shepherdsville Police and Bullitt County Sheriff's Office as he headed south on the interstate.

KSP said Thomas was driving recklessly, with speeds up to 100 mph.

The standoff began on southbound I-65 around the 114 mile marker — between KY 44 exit to Mt. Washington and Shepherdsville — near the rest area with KSP, LMPD, the Shepherdsville Police Department and the Jeffersonville Police Department on scene.

Both directions of I-65 were blocked off for the standoff, stopping dozens of cars for miles.

Trae Gibson and his daughters got onto I-65 just as Jeffrey hit a light pole or a sign near exit 114. Gibson said that's when he pulled over.

"I was actually kind of scared," Gibson said. "It was definitely chaotic. It was wild. I mean, it was kind of like the movies."

The Louisville SWAT Team was called in when Jeffersonville Police said Thomas wouldn't respond to officers. 

Another family stopped during this, Matt Selph and Kelli Selph, said you could see the air bags deployed in the stolen car.

"I was a little nervous at first just because we were so close to all the action and we didn't know exactly what was happening at that point," Kelli Selph said.

Matt Selph is retired from the Army and said he knew things were escalating once SWAT was called in and could go bad quickly at any moment.

"It's 50/50 at that point," he said.

Emaley Russell, her husband, and their two young children were also caught in the backup.

"I started kind of thinking what would our plan be if we needed to get out of here, so yeah, the whole mom instinct thing did kind of start kicking in once I realized there's a pretty serious situation," Russell said.

Law enforcement used non-lethal pepperball bullets to make visual contact with Thomas, according to Jeffersonville Police. Once this happened, SWAT was able to approach the car and get Jeffrey out.

No shots were fired.

Thomas was taken to University of Louisville Hospital to be checked out as a precaution, which is protocol, before being booked into the Bullitt County Detention Center. 

Jeffersonville Police is leading the carjacking investigation and said it plans to file, armed robbery, auto theft and resisting police charges Tuesday morning.

KSP is investigating the pursuit and standoff and said it is filing the following charges:

• Receiving Stolen Property
• First-degree wanton endangerment
• First-degree fleeing or evading police
• Speeding, operating a motor vehicle under the influence

Thomas is also facing several other traffic violations, KSP said.

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