A Virginia driver and his passenger have been arrested after the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said the duo endangered a law enforcement officer Friday night.
Daryl Hatfield Jr., 31, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was identified as the driver, and the passenger was 20-year-old Brandi Abbott, also of Fredericksburg, the sheriff’s office said Monday.
The erratic driving and a subsequent chase started just before 7 p.m. Friday, when a deputy responded to reports of a reckless driver who had been in a hit-and-run, the sheriff’s office said.
The deputy found the suspected driver on Jefferson Davis Highway, in the area of Hospital Center Boulevard. He tried to stop the driver, but the driver kept going dangerously, crossing over lines.
The driver eventually pulled over on the highway in the area of Sage Lane, and the deputy tried to get the driver to exit the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. Hatfield did not comply and, instead, took off in the vehicle, making an illegal U-turn and driving off, going northbound on the highway.
That prompted a chase involving other deputies. A sergeant then put out stop sticks to deflate the tires of Hatfield’s vehicle in the area of Courthouse Road, and when Hatfield approached, he headed toward the sergeant and tried to hit him with the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
Hatfield kept speeding down the highway until he hit another vehicle in the area of Bells Hill Road. He finally came to a stop after hitting several parked vehicles on Cork Street, the sheriff’s office said. Hatfield and Abbott were then arrested.
The sheriff’s office said a firearm, two plastic bags with suspected heroin/fentanyl and a notable amount of cash were found on Hatfield. Investigators also found multiple bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl and a bag of a white powdery substance on Abbott.
Hatfield is facing multiple charges, including attempted capital murder, eluding, and drug and gun charges. Abbott is also facing a number of drug and gun charges.
Both are being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
Below is a map of the area where the sheriff’s office said the chase happened.
