THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270508
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
It wasn't a run-of-the-mill police chase.
Caught in the act, a would-be boat thief dived into the murky waters of the Elizabeth River on Thursday night and tried to swim away. But boats corralled him, and the man - wet, cold and wearing nothing but jockey shorts - surrendered.
``I can't describe how funny it was,'' said a witness, Thornton Clark, 58, of Boston. ``He had to be mighty cold. . . . Jail will be a lot warmer than that water must have been.''
The incident began about 9:30 p.m. at the Waterside Marina when the owner of the $8,000, 19-foot Nova spotted someone making off with the craft. The owner got on a marine radio and called for help.
Officers Norman Harris and David Lavertu, who were on routine patrol in a Norfolk police boat, heard the call for help and sped up the river. As they neared the marina, they spotted the thief and he dived into the water.
The officers secured the stolen boat and then turned their attention to nabbing the suspect.
Using the marine radio, the officers virtually deputized every manned craft in the area and coordinated a roundup. Coast Guard and private craft joined the effort to net the swimmer.
Even the Spirit of Norfolk lent assistance, using high-intensity spotlights to scan the water's surface while police officers on the pier used flashlights to hunt the man.
Harris and Lavertu jumped aboard a Coast Guard boat, where they traded their gun belts for life vests. They jumped into the river and nabbed the swimmer.
Hill identified the suspect as George McDaniel, 22, who is stationed on the Navy destroyer Conolly. He was checked out by paramedics before being taken to jail. He is charged with grand larceny.
KEYWORDS: ROBBERY ARREST by CNB