CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A chopper went up as Virginia State Police Troopers and Chesterfield Police officers launched a search for a suspect off Kelmarbi Road.
"There’s never any trouble down here,” said a man who asked to be called “Bob.”
Neighbors say a driver parked and locked a Dodge sports car and ran off towards the wood line.
"A neighbor sent me a text and wanted to know if I knew whose car it was down there. I looked and told her I had never seen that car before," said Bob.
State Police first saw the driver - driving recklessly - near Route 288 and I-95 South, according to Crime Insider sources.
State Police said the chase started around 11:30 Thursday morning, after the driver of the Dodge wouldn't stop for police.
“The vehicle exited onto Route 1 traveling southbound. Troopers lost sight of the vehicle in the area of Harrowgate Road. The vehicle was later recovered in southern Chesterfield County. The driver was not present,” said a state police spokesperson.
"I said ‘Uh oh, what's going on?’" said Bob.
He said the chase went past his sister and their neighborhood mailman at very high speeds.
"He saw the chase down Jeff Davis right in front of Wawa at Woods Edge Road. He said they came through there, had to be doing 120 miles per hour," explained Bob.
After about an hour, the search was called off.
The suspect who eluded police, could not elude them for long.
“At approximately 7 p.m., Virginia State Police was called to Branders Bridge Road near Whitehouse Road for a report of pedestrians on the highway,” a Virginia State Police spokesperson said.
Erik C. Whichard, 43, of Chester, was identified as the driver in the earlier incident.
He was arrested and charged with felony eluding and misdemeanor driving suspended. He was also issued summonses for failure to maintain lane and expired registration.
