Former Star Wars child actor Jake Lloyd arrested over US car chase

MIAMI (AFP) - The US actor who played Anakin Skywalker as a child in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was under arrest in South Carolina Monday after leading police on a wild, high-speed car chase last week, authorities said.

Jake Lloyd, 26, was charged with failure to stop and resisting arrest after Wednesday's incident in Colleton County, South Carolina, the county sheriff's office said. He was being held pending a bond hearing.

Lloyd is best known for his role as a young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 prequel that traces the origins of Darth Vader, the feared villain of the beloved Star Wars franchise.

Lloyd, who last appeared in the 2005 movie Madison, has complained in interviews of being tormented by bullies in school over his childhood Star Wars fame.

Sergeant Kyle Strickland of the Colleton County sheriff's office told NBC News that Lloyd "didn't appear to be on drugs or intoxicated".

The sheriff's office said Lloyd ignored police orders to pull over, and instead accelerated, leading police on a wild ride before crashing in a wooded area several miles away.