CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Authorities say a driver who fled Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel police is facing charges after he was stopped at the interchange of I-64 and I-464 in Chesapeake.
Edward Spencer, chief of CBBT police, said the driver, 25-year-old Ronald Stow of Millsboro, Delaware, pulled up to a toll lane on the Eastern Shore side of the bridge-tunnel around 12:25 p.m. with an unrestrained child and a radar detector, which is illegal in Virginia.
Spencer said an officer saw this at the toll plaza and told Stow, but he didn’t and took off down the bridge-tunnel.
Stow allegedly reached speeds of 100 mph during the ensuing chase. CBBT police backed off for the safety of the unrestrained child, Spencer said.
Virgnia Beach police said several precinct units responded to the south toll plaza and tried to deploy stop sticks, but were unable to do so in time. Stow passed police units and went south on Northampton Boulevard at a high rate of speed.
Police said Stow struck an attended vehicle at Northampton and Pleasure House Road. Several people in the area told police the driver was headed toward Northampton and Diamond Springs Road.
Stow was then spotted headed eastbound entering I-64 with Virginia State Police troopers following, police said.
State Police Sgt. Michelle Anaya said troopers were able to stop the driver on I-64 East at the I-464 exit ramp. As Stow was stopping the vehicle, it slid down the embankment, Anaya said.
Two adults — including Stow — and a child were in the vehicle, but no one was injured. The scene at the interchange caused eastbound traffic to be heavily delayed during the early afternoon hours of Tuesday.
Virginia Beach police charged Stow with abduction, two counts of felony child endangerment, felony hit and run, two counts of felony eluding police, four counts of misdemeanor reckless driving, child restraint and fraudulent registration.
Stow is being held at the Virginia Beach City Jail without bond.