THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 4, 1995 TAG: 9502040316
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Police gave up their pursuit of a stolen car Friday afternoon when the driver refused to stop during a five-minute chase, but the car crashed anyway a few minutes later.
The incident comes in the wake of a Jan. 21 pursuit into downtown Norfolk that ended when a van being chased by state police rammed the side of a car and killed the two people inside.
Friday's incident began about 4 p.m. when two officers on patrol spotted a stolen green Honda at 35th Street and Killam Avenue. They chased the car through Park Place and onto 24th Street, where, at 4:05 p.m., a police supervisor radioed orders to the officers to quit the pursuit.
``It was beginning to gain speed and was becoming reckless,'' police spokesman Larry Hill said, noting that it was rush hour and traffic was heavy.
The police car turned off its lights and siren, and the Honda sped on its way.
Police kept a lookout for the car, however, and about five minutes later they found it abandoned in the 700 block of West 21st St. Hill said it appeared that the car had skidded out of control and crashed.
The driver had fled. It was unclear whether anyone in the car was hurt. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
Hill said the incident showed that giving up a pursuit does not necessarily reduce danger.
``This is the other side of the coin,'' Hill said. ``It's a no-win situation.
``Despite calling off pursuits,'' he said, ``many times, people still continue to do what they are doing . . . and eventually they have an accident. Fortunately, in this particular case, no one was injured that we know of.''
Police agencies involved in the Jan. 21 chase - Norfolk, Virginia Beach and state police - are still reviewing that incident but have said they have found no evidence that any policies governing police pursuits were violated.
The driver of the van police were pursuing until it rammed the car, Arnold O. Peterson of Virginia Beach, is being held in the Norfolk City Jail without bond pending arraignment on Feb. 8. Prosecutors have said they may charge him with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
KEYWORDS: POLICE CHASE CAR THEFT by CNB