HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- "It does not sound like him."
That was the reaction Good Tymes restaurant and wine bar general manager Christopher Jones had when he learned his restaurant's head chef Linwood Lewis was killed as he ran from police.
"Upbeat attitude and confidence," Jones said about the man known for his sauces, seafood dishes, and plate presentation. "He had a big personality, he was big physically, and his heart was huge."
Jones said he knew something was wrong when he could not reach Lewis Tuesday when the two had meetings scheduled and food orders to place for the year-old restaurant on Chamberlayne Avenue.
Lewis' mother reached out to Jones to tell him her son was dead.
A Henrico Police spokesperson said Lewis was killed while running from police during a traffic stop.
"Why would you do that... it does not make any sense," Jones said. "I don't know what else was involved."
The situation unfolded around 3:25 a.m. Tuesday on Mechanicsville Turnpike, according to Henrico Police.
"A Henrico Police officer stopped a vehicle in the 3000 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike for a traffic violation," a Henrico Police spokesperson said. "The driver [later identified as Lewis] fled the traffic stop on foot and was struck by a truck traveling eastbound on Mechanicsville Turnpike. The male who was struck was pronounced deceased at the scene."
Lewis, 39, had recently graduated from culinary school, according to Jones.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding Lewis' death remained ongoing.
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