CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. -- A driver doing 85 mph in a 70 mph zone on Interstate 95 north at mile marker 117 triggered a trooper’s blue lights Thursday afternoon.
A chase followed, then a crash and, sources say, a significant discovery.
On the outskirts of Campbell's Creek, a mangled Mercedes left a muddy trail, and a man was rushed out to a nearby field, so he could be loaded on to a medical helicopter.
Rainia McWhirter
"They had to land Medivac," said Rainia McWhirter.
What was supposed to be a traffic stop, turned into a wild, eight-mile chase, reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.
"I was sitting on my porch trying to get fresh air, and all I heard was some screeching tires and it sounded like something was hit and it skid," said McWhirter.
Troopers were all around the Mercedes when it came to a stop. 50 yards away was clear evidence where the car had hit an embankment. Witnesses say it flipped at least three times and skidded on the grass before it flipped back upright.
[BONUS: Watch reporter Jon Burkett's LIVE Facebook report from the crash scene]
"They were sprinting from the car," said Michael Perry, who lives near the Caroline crash site, about the occupants of the vehicle.
Law enforcement says two men inside the car tried to make a run for it, but Caroline deputies and state troopers caught them.
Those two men and another man inside the car were taken to Mary Washington Hospital, with at least one of them with serious injuries.
Crash Scene
At the crash site, troopers were counting stacks of cash taken from the vehicle. While state police wouldn't confirm what was inside the car, citing an ongoing investigation, multiple law enforcement sources tell CBS-6 there were several pounds of heroin, crack, cocaine and marijuana in the car.
Sources say two weapons were also recovered.
"I’m not sure what they found, but it was bags and bags of evidence," said Perry.
State police have not released names or charges yet, but I can tell you first-hand the driver of the Mercedes came dangerously close to hurting others: he passed me at the Thornburg exit, crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic in an effort to escape police.
