West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s wife was hospitalized Tuesday after her car was hit by a suspect fleeing police, authorities said.
Police said the accident occurred while Manchin and co-worker Guy Rand were traveling from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to a nearby hotel. A statement released Tuesday by her husband said Manchin was injured in the accident but was in “stable condition.”
That afternoon, officers began a pursuit of a suspect wanted on a felony charge, according to the Homewood Police Department.
Troopers pursued the vehicle through North Birmingham to North 18th Street, but lost contact with the suspicious vehicle in the 1300 block of the street, authorities said.
Sen. Joe Manchin’s wife hospitalized after car crash in Alabama; ‘she is in stable condition’
Senators Joe Manchin and Gayle Manchin arrive to attend a state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House on June 22, 2023. (Ting Sheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
State Police continued on North 18th Street and found the suspect vehicle collided with another vehicle at the intersection of North 18th Street and North 15th Street.
The driver of the other vehicle was Rand, and the passenger was Gayle Manchin. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene and treated the injured. Both were taken to UAB Gardendale Hospital.
The suspect was arrested without incident.
“The Homewood Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division is currently investigating this incident and is in the process of obtaining multiple felony warrants against the suspect,” Homeland Police said.
Manchin hints at possibility of third-party management after Super Tuesday
Sen. Joe Manchin walks with his wife, Gayle Connelly Manchin, through the Senate Metro at the U.S. Capitol on February 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Alex Edelman/Getty Images)
The suspect is currently being held at the Homewood City Jail pending a warrant for his arrest.
Gayle Manchin was in Alabama for an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) event. She is the federal co-chair of her ARC, which describes itself as “an economic development partnership between the federal government and her 13 state governments focused on 423 counties in the Appalachian region.”
The organization says Rand is its liaison with the ARC council.
“While they were on their way from the airport to their hotel, another vehicle collided with their car,” ARC said in a statement.
Manchin says he “absolutely” can consider himself president, thinks Biden’s health or Trump conviction could pave the way
Sen. Joe Manchin questions Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler as Gensler testifies before the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee in Washington, D.C., July 19, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Sen. Manchin has hinted that a third party could run for president after Super Tuesday on March 5th.
“Super Tuesday will pretty much confirm what we believe is going to happen and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Manchin told reporters last week.
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“But people are looking for options and we will be looking at them,” he added. Whether it’s me or anyone else, if things continue to get worse, I think there are options available to me. ”
Manchin announced last year that he would not seek re-election to the Senate, sparking speculation about whether he would run for the Senate in 2024. presidential election. Manchin has launched a national campaign called “Americans Together” aimed at uniting the country’s moderate voters away from the “extremes” of the left and right.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman, Jamie Joseph and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
