Driver killed after chase & crash ID'd

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Norfolk Police are investigating a deadly crash not long after a short pursuit early Friday morning.

According to Karen Parker-Chesson with the Norfolk Police Department, officers spotted a vehicle speeding along Ocean View Avenue around 2:15 a.m. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, a brief pursuit ensued.

“The pursuit was quickly disengaged when the vehicle pulled away from officers,” Parker-Chesson told WAVY.com.

Some time after the pursuit, the vehicle traveled along East Little Creek Road where it struck another vehicle and traveled into Virginia Beach. The two people in that vehicle received minor injuries. Parker-Chesson said the suspect vehicle re-entered Norfolk on East Little Creek Road, lost control and struck at tree at Shore Drive.

The driver, identified as Eric Ahmed-Zahrani Johnson, 28 of Norfolk, died at the scene. Police say he was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the fatal crash.

"I am sad about it," Johnson's uncle Roy Johnson told WAVY.com. "It's very, very tragic. He was a nice and caring person. I had a bad feeling last night... I didn't know what it was."

Police are actively investigating the crash and working to learn if alcohol or speed were factors. There was no active pursuit with police when the vehicle hit the tree, Parker-Chesson said.

Stay with WAVY.com for more on this developing story.