Man charged with manslaughter after deadly wreck involving person on bicycle

TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) - A 24-year-old man has been arrested after a deadly wreck involving a man on a bicycle.

The Texarkana Texas Police Department says Cole Arendt, 24, was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Police say Arendt was driving his Chevy Camaro on W 7th Street back on Aug. 30, when he reportedly swerved to avoid hitting a Dodge Ram pickup truck that had turned left in front of him. After hitting the truck, Arendt’s car went off the road and hit Joshua Simpson, 20, who was riding his bicycle in the Roadrunner parking lot.

Arendt’s Camaro kept going and hit a Chevy Silverado before coming to a stop in the middle of the road.

Simpson was taken to a local hospital with very serious injuries; he died the following day, police say.

Officers have been investigating the incident for a month. Detectives say they recovered evidence that shows Arendt was going more than 80 mph in a 45 mph speed zone when the crash happened. Police also say had he been driving the speed limit, the crash would not have happened.

A warrant for Arendt’s arrest was issued, and he turned himself in Tuesday morning. He was booked into the Bi-State Jail with a bond of $500,000.

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