THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150491
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 145 lines
Two Norfolk police cars sandwiched a stolen 1987 Chrysler four-door Tuesday, ending a wild ride for a car thief, two children and the father of one of them.
The ordeal began about 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Metro Machine Corp., a ship-repair facility in the Berkley section of Norfolk.
Nicholas Souris of Newport News was at Metro Machine with his wife and their friend Crisha Kamphorst, delivering Valentine's Day flowers to sailors aboard the guided-missile cruiser San Jacinto.
Another friend of Souris', Howard Slinger, 34, of Virginia Beach, had just come out into the parking lot when a man left the shipyard and jumped into Kamphorst's car. The keys had been left on the front seat, police said.
In the back were Souris' 19-month-old son and Kamphorst's 5-year-old daughter.
Slinger said he didn't know anything was wrong until he heard a woman scream. ``My mind was on the kids. There was no choice, just get them.''
The scream had came from Kamphorst.
``I was shocked. It was nerve-wracking,'' said Kamphorst, 24, of Virginia Beach. ``It was the most horrible feeling in the world.''
Slinger ran to the car and opened the front passenger door, but the carjacker put the car into reverse, and the passenger-side door knocked Slinger out of the way.
That's when Souris made his move.
``I just figured I'd jump on the hood. I was going to stay with him, keep him calm,'' Souris said.
That part of the ride didn't last long. Souris lost his grip, but the car was going slowly enough that he managed to make it through the open passenger-side door.
His son didn't know what was happening, Souris said Tuesday afternoon, but Kamphorst's daughter was hysterical. He tried to calm her and the driver.
``I didn't want to upset him or intimidate him. I didn't know if he had a weapon.''
Souris said he even lighted a cigarette for the driver, who seemed calm and collected.
The suspect proceeded over the Berkley Bridge into downtown Norfolk.
The Norfolk police, alerted by a guard at Metro Machine, spotted the car at Market Street and St. Paul's Boulevard.
All the while, Souris was seated next to the silent driver, pleading calmly for him to stop.
``The only thing I could do was ride this out,'' Souris said. ``I offered to drop him off anywhere he wanted to go, but he didn't say word one to me.''
The pursuit continued back over the Berkley Bridge and into the Downtown Tunnel.
A patrol car, with officers Boe Bostjancic and M.L. Railling aboard, eased behind the fleeing car in the tunnel.
Another officer, Joe Baron, had maneuvered his cruiser in front of the stolen car.
When the car emerged from the tunnel, the police cruisers carefully executed a squeeze play. At South Street and Elm Avenue, the suspect had no place to go. The chase, which had lasted about 15 minutes, was over.
William Coppedge III, 24, of the 500 block of Dorset Ave. in Portsmouth, was arrested. He was held in the Norfolk jail on two counts of abduction and one count of grand larceny.
``He was pretty cooperative,'' Bostjancic said. ``He never resisted. He never said anything.''
Kamphorst said dozens of tragic images raced through her mind while she waited at the shipyard gate. She called Souris the hero of the day.
``It's amazing,'' she said. ``It's because of him I have my daughter.''
NORFOLK - Two Norfolk police cars sandwiched a stolen 1987 Chrysler four-door Tuesday, ending a wild ride for a car thief, two children and the father of one of them.
The ordeal began about 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Metro Machine Corp., a ship-repair facility in the Berkley section of Norfolk.
Nicholas Souris of Newport News was at Metro Machine with his wife and their friend Crisha Kamphorst, delivering Valentine's Day flowers to sailors aboard the guided-missile cruiser San Jacinto.
Another friend of Souris', Howard Slinger, 34, of Virginia Beach, had just come out into the parking lot when a man left the shipyard and jumped into Kamphorst's car. The keys had been left on the front seat, police said.
In the back were Souris' 19-month-old son and Kamphorst's 5-year-old daughter.
Slinger said he didn't know anything was wrong until he heard a woman scream. ``My mind was on the kids. There was no choice, just get them.''
The scream had came from Kamphorst.
``I was shocked. It was nerve-wracking,'' said Kamphorst, 24, of Virginia Beach. ``It was the mosthorrible feeling in the world.''
Slinger ran to the car and opened the front passenger door, but the carjacker put the car into reverse, and the passenger-side door knocked Slinger out of the way.
That's when Souris made his move.
``I just figured I'd jump on the hood. I was going to stay with him, keep him calm,'' Souris said.
That part of the ride didn't last long. Souris lost his grip, but the car was going slowly enough that he managed to make it through the open passenger-side door.
His son didn't know what was happening, Souris said Tuesday afternoon, but Kamphorst's daughter was hysterical. He tried to calm her and the driver.
``I didn't want to upset him or intimidate him. I didn't know if he had a weapon.''
Souris said he even lighted a cigarette for the driver, who seemed calm and collected.
The suspect proceeded over the Berkley Bridge into downtown Norfolk.
The Norfolk police, alerted by a guard at Metro Machine, spotted the car at Market Street and St. Paul's Boulevard.
All the while, Souris was seated next to the silent driver, pleading calmly for him to stop.
``The only thing I could do was ride this out,'' Souris said. ``I offered to drop him off anywhere he wanted to go, but he didn't say word one to me.''
The pursuit continued back over the Berkley Bridge and into the Downtown Tunnel.
A patrol car, with officers Boe Bostjancic and M.L. Railling aboard, eased behind the fleeing car in the tunnel.
Another officer, Joe Baron, had maneuvered his cruiser in front of the stolen car.
When the car emerged from the tunnel, the police cruisers carefully executed a squeeze play. At South Street and Elm Avenue, the suspect had no place to go. The chase, which had lasted about 15 minutes, was over.
William Coppedge III, 24, of the 500 block of Dorset Ave. in Portsmouth, was arrested. He was held in the Norfolk jail on two counts of abduction and one count of grand larceny.
``He was pretty cooperative,'' Bostjancic said. ``He never resisted. He never said anything.''
Kamphorst said dozens of tragic images raced through her mind while she waited at the shipyard gate. She called Souris the hero of the day.
``It's amazing,'' she said. ``It's because of him I have my daughter.'' MEMO: Staff writer Mike Mather contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff
Maria, Evan and Nicholas Souris
Map
JOHN EARLE/Staff
Photo
Coppedge
KEYWORDS: AUTOMOBILE THEFTS CARJACKING KIDNAPPING
ARREST by CNB