RICHMOND, Va. -- The man who drove through a barrier and nearly hit several officers investigating a fatal shooting on Richmond's Southside Friday night could face "very serious" charges, according to a legal analyst.
Officers were called to the 800 block of Richmond Highway near Dinwiddie Avenue just after 8:50 p.m. for a report of a person shot, Lt. Warren Andorfer with Richmond Police said.
That is where a woman suffering from an apparent gunshot wound was pronounced dead at the scene, Andorfer wrote.
While officers were working the crime scene, an SUV broke through a police barrier at Boston Avenue.
Reporter Jon Burkett was on the scene when he captured video of the vehicle driving recklessly.
Burkett said the SUV missed a police cruiser by inches and then fishtailed as it neared officers investigating Richmond's 59th homicide of 2023.
“Obviously, we have the entire scene blocked off with crime scene tape,” Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said. “Many marked police cars with their lights flashing and this individual drove through, almost hitting some officers. We were able to stop that person and we'll be charging that person appropriately.”
No officers were injured.
Police took off in pursuit of the driver, later identified by multiple sources as as Dejohn Isaiah Bates.
Defense attorney Todd Stone, a legal analyst for WTVR CBS 6, said the driver could face a felony eluding charge.
“The pursuit afterwards is an eluding police — that's a felony. That's a very serious charge. You can go to prison for that," Stone said. "That is something that is a lot easier to prove because the only intent you have to show is that he saw the blue lights behind him and kept going."
Once the driver stopped on Broad Rock Boulevard, Crime Insider sources said he would not comply. As a result, officers had to use a taser and a K-9, according to those sources.
Bates, who was charged with assaulting a police dog, has not yet been charged in regard to the officers he could have hit.
"The fact that this is on videotape is something that makes it a lot easier for a prosecutor to prove because you can just see what happened,” Stone said. “But there's still the additional element of his intent at the time — and they've got to figure out what that is."
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or submit a tip online at www.7801000.com. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones may also be used. All three Crime Stoppers methods of contact are anonymous.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
