Driver leads state police in chase on I-85 from Dinwiddie into Petersburg before crashing

Bill Atkinson, Petersburg Progress-Index
Updated ·2 min read
A Virginia State Police trooper walks toward the wreckage of a 2022 Kia SUV Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, at the intersection of Liberty and Harrison streets in Petersburg. The wrecked vehicle belonged to a man who led state police on a pursuit of more tha 20 miles on Interstate 85 before veering off into the city.
A Virginia State Police trooper walks toward the wreckage of a 2022 Kia SUV Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, at the intersection of Liberty and Harrison streets in Petersburg. The wrecked vehicle belonged to a man who led state police on a pursuit of more tha 20 miles on Interstate 85 before veering off into the city.

PETERSBURG − Two Florida men are in custody after leading state police on a high-speed chase off Interstate 85 and eventually crashing the car in downtown Petersburg Thursday night.

State Police Sgt. Jessica Shehan said one of those people in custody was let out of the vehicle shortly before it crashed at the intersection of Liberty and Harrison streets near First Baptist Church.

It all started shortly before 5:30 p.m. at the 41-mile marker on I-85 northbound in Dinwiddie County. Shehan said a trooper clocked a 2022 Kia SUV going 85 mph in a 70 mph zone. That trooper tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver kept on going.

The chase lasted for more than 20 miles before the driver veered off the highway at the Squirrel Level Road exit with the trooper in tow.

Shehan said the SUV stopped long enough to let a passenger out, but sped off again on Halifax Street toward downtown. The pursuit continued until the SUV driver struck a utility pole.

After the SUV crashed, the driver ran from the scene, but was eventually caught.

Dispatch reports claimed the speed on I-85 ran as high as 135 mph, and 60-80 mph once they left I-85.

The driver of the car was identified as Willie Antonio Douglas, 22, of North Lauderdale, Florida; and the passenger was Marcus Felder, 34. of Pompano Beach, Florida. Douglas has been charged with felony eluding, reckless driving, driving without an operator's license, possession of a Schedule 1/2 controlled substance, failure to wear a seat belt, failure to stop at a stop sign and speeding. Felder was charged with eluding authorities and possession of a Schedule 1/2 controlled substance.

According to VSP policy, a trooper may start a pursuit if the driver does not stop for the lights or sirens. During the chase, the pursuing officer has to consider several factors, including road and traffic conditions, the risk of them, the suspect or bystanders getting seriously hurt, and whether or not the driver could be caught another way.

Chases cannot go against traffic flow, nor can the fleeing car be rammed intentionally unless extraordinary circumstances warrant it.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Two people in custody after high-speed pursuit into Petersburg