The man involved in a car crash that resulted in the hospitalization of Sen. Joe Manchin’s wife, Gayle Manchin, was arrested following a police chase this week and charged Wednesday with felony assault, illegal possession of a firearm and attempting to elude a police officer.
On Monday afternoon, officers in Homewood, Alabama attempted to stop Tradarryl Rishad Boykins, who was wanted on outstanding warrants. Boykins refused to stop his vehicle, and police pursued him through the streets of Homewood and nearby Birmingham, Alabama. The chase came to a sudden and violent stop when Boykins crashed into the SUV carrying Gayle Conelly Manchin and her colleague Guy Land, who were traveling to their hotel, having come to Birmingham to attend a grant workshop hosted by the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Boykins has a long rap sheet that includes prior arrests for robbery, assault, burglary, and narcotics possession, according to local station WTAP-TV.
In a statement released Monday Sen. Manchin (D-WV) said that his wife “remains in stable condition but will stay there for a couple of days for precautionary measures.”
The ARC said in a statement that both she and Land “are receiving excellent medical care and remain at a UAB facility as they recover.”
Boykins’ bond has been set at a $2 million, according to jail records.
