Civilian Chases Down Suspect After Va. Pursuit

April 16, 2013
The suspect was chased down by the civilian who punched him in the head hard enough to knock him to the ground, where he stayed until officers handcuffed him.

Henrico County police say a citizen helped authorities bring down a man who was wanted for a pursuit that spanned two jurisdictions and resulted in damages to five vehicles.

The pursuit ended about 10:45 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of a Walgreens pharmacy at Nine Mile Road and Laburnum Avenue, where the suspect ran after crashing a stolen car into three other vehicles. Henrico police Lt. J.C. Holmes said the suspect was chased down by a citizen who punched him in the head hard enough to knock him to the ground, where he stayed until officers handcuffed him.

The citizen, Holmes said, then got back in his car and left the scene.

"We don't need to speak to him," Holmes said, "but we appreciate his efforts."

The suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, faces a variety of felony charges involving a stolen vehicle and the pursuit as well as drug charges in the city of Richmond.

There were no injuries reported.

The pursuit began in Richmond about 10 p.m., when the suspect was originally driving a white car. But police terminated the pursuit for safety reasons because the suspect was driving without headlights.

Holmes said the suspect apparently ditched the white car and stole a red one, which police spotted a short time later. Richmond and Henrico police pursued that vehicle, which ended up striking three other private vehicles at the intersection of Nine Mile and Laburnum. Damage to the vehicles was minor, Holmes said.

A police cruiser also had minor damage, he said.

Copyright 2013 - Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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