WASHINGTON – A man who assaulted several officers and took police on a car chase after stealing a police cruiser Thursday is facing a long list of charges.
Virginia State Police Trooper C. T. Grzelak responded to a pedestrian in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 in Prince William County. At the same time, an Arlington County Police officer pulled up to assist.
When he was approached by officers, the pedestrian, 37-year-old Dexter Gibson of Herndon, Va., began struggling and banging on the trooper’s patrol car.
As the officers attempted to arrest him, Gibson hit the Arlington officer in the face and took off in the officer’s cruiser.
The trooper pursued the suspect, with the chase continuing off I-66 and onto Route 29 before returning to I-66 westbound.
At mile marker 47 in Fairfax County, State Police and Prince William County Police were able to surround the Gibson’s car and force him onto the shoulder.
After stopping, Gibson ran from the stolen cruiser and jumped into the bed of a pickup truck that was stopped in the westbound lanes of I-66. Police had stopped all traffic due to the car chase.
The suspect then grabbed a shovel from the back of the pickup truck and began swinging at the troopers as they came toward him.
Gibson finally complied with officer’s commands to drop the shovel, but then jumped out of the back of the pickup truck and climbed over the cement Jersey wall.
Now in the left shoulder of the eastbound lanes of I-66, Gibson refused to be taken into custody and continued to fight officers.
A trooper and sergeant sustained minor injuries in the course of arresting the suspect.
Prince William County Police officers took Gibson to the Prince William County Adult Detention Center.
He is charged with:
- 1 count grand larceny
- 1 count carjacking
- 1 felony count of eluding police
- 2 counts of malicious wouding
- 2 counts of destruction of property
- 6 counts of felony assault on a police officer
The Arlington County police officer was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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