A Birmingham man has been charged with felony assault in a car crash that injured the wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin.

Tradarryl Rishad Boykins, 31, is charged with two counts of second-degree assault, felony attempting to elude, and certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm – also a felony – in connection with the Monday wreck that happened during a police chase from Homewood to Birmingham.

Homewood police Sgt. John Carr said Boykins is a convicted felon with history of robbery, assault, burglary, and drug possession.

Gayle Manchin, 76, is the federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission and was in Birmingham for an event. She and her colleague, Guy Land, both were injured in the crash.

Manchin was a passenger in the SUV which was driven by Land.

The pursuit started at 3:31 p.m. Monday in Homewood at Columbiana Road and Green Springs Highway. Officers spotted a man wanted on outstanding warrants.

The suspect, driving a white SUV, refused to stop, police said.

The chase wound through Homewood and Birmingham, lasting seven minutes.

It came to an end when the fleeing man struck the SUV carrying Gayle Manchin at 18th Street North and 15th Avenue North in Birmingham.

Gayle Manchin and Land were taken initially to UAB Hospital in Gardendale and then transported again to UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

Sen. Manchin (D-WV) released a statement Tuesday saying that his wife, Gayle Manchin, was injured in the wreck while en route from the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to an area hotel.

“On Monday, my wife Gayle and her colleague Guy Land were involved in a car accident on the way from the airport to the hotel in Birmingham, Alabama for an Appalachian Regional Commission event that was planned for today,’’ Sen. Manchin said.

“Both were admitted to UAB Hospital and are receiving excellent care. She remains in stable condition but will stay there for a couple of days for precautionary measures. We want to thank the first responders who answered the call and were first on-site to provide assistance and support.”

ARC said in a statement that “another vehicle struck their car” while they were driving to attend a grant workshop.

“Wesley and I are praying for a speedy recovery for Gayle Manchin and Guy Land,” Sen. Katie Britt posted on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

We are grateful for the work of some of Alabama’s tremendous first responders who answered this call and know that they’re in excellent hands at UAB,” Britt posted.

“I’m praying for everyone’s speedy recovery from this accident here in our state,” U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt posted.

Sen. Manchin was the governor of West Virginia from 2005 until 2010, when he was elected to the Senate in a special election. The couple has been married since 1967 and have three children together.

Gayle Manchin, the former first lady of West Virginia and a former educator, served as president of the West Virginia Board of Education and as the state’s secretary of education and the arts under Republican Gov. Jim Justice.

She was sworn in as the Appalachian Regional Commission’s thirteenth federal co-chair in 2021 after being nominated by President Biden.