Accused hit-and-run driver escapes down storm drain in hourslong chase, Virginia cops say
Virginia police are looking for an accused hit-and-run driver who they said led officers in an hourslong chase, eventually escaping by crawling through a narrow storm drain.
Amid icy conditions, troopers were responding to two crashes along an interstate in Alexandria at about 3 p.m. Jan. 6 when a third crash happened behind the initial wrecks, according to a Virginia State Police news release shared with McClatchy News.
The two drivers involved in the third crash then moved their vehicles after a responding trooper told them to, the release said.
Moments later, however, one of the drivers sped off in his vehicle, initiating a chase, police said.
But less than a mile down the road, the vehicle crashed again, and the man ran across the interstate into a wooded area before disappearing into a storm drain, police said.
According to the release, troopers later spotted him crawling in a small drainpipe.
“The suspect refused State Police commands in both English and Spanish to stop,” officials said in the release. “The pipe narrowed to an 18-inch diameter, making pursuit difficult.”
A Fairfax County Police drone was brought into the drainpipe but lost signal.
About three hours later, a drainpipe opening was found about three blocks from where the man had entered, but a resident told police they saw someone exit it about 30 minutes prior, according to the release.
It is unclear if anyone was injured in the wrecks. Police said they are still searching for the runaway driver.
