100 MPH Police Chase In Stafford Leads To Pending Charges

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — A 17-year-old boy from Woodbridge faces several charges after police said he fled from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office on Saturday evening. Authorities claimed the boy, whose name was not released, also possessed a concealed handgun.

At 10:37 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, a Stafford County deputy attempted to pull over an Acura on southbound Jefferson Davis Highway, near Wind Ridge Drive. The deputy said the Acura was driving 64 mph when the speed limit was 45 mph. The driver of the Acura did not immediately pull over, and instead reached speeds of more than 100 mph, the sheriff's office said.

The pursuit continued to Garrisonville Road, according to authorities. The Acura slowed down to make the right turn from Jefferson Davis Highway, and the chasing deputy decided to use the precision immobilization technique, also known as the PIT maneuver.

The PIT maneuver is a strategy used by law enforcement in an attempt to end a car chase, as noted in a study by the Department of Justice. The pursuing police car aligns its front wheels with the fleeing cars rear wheels and turns the steering wheel into the fleeing car. This may cause the fleeing vehicle to lose control and spin out, ending the chase.

On Saturday, the deputy's use of the PIT maneuver safely ended the car chase, according to authorities. The Acura stopped, and the sheriff's office did not report any injuries from the chase.

The sheriff's office said the 17-year-old driver fled from the deputy because he did not have a license. Police also claimed that a Smith & Wesson pistol was found under the Acura's driver's seat.

Five passengers from the Acura were released from the scene or to their parents, police said.

"Juvenile Intake decided not to confine the driver and he was released to a parent," the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook. Charges are pending for eluding, driving without a license, possession of a concealed weapon, driving without a seatbelt, and speeding.