The driver of a carjacked vehicle has died after being shot by Virginia state troopers on Wednesday night after a long car chase on Interstate 95 southbound in Prince William County.
At around 10:15 p.m., a state trooper tracked down a vehicle that the U.S. Parkway Police had reported in connection with a carjacking. U.S. Park Police had responded to a carjacking on Suitland Parkway in the area of Silver Hill Road at 9:45 p.m., about a half hour before the vehicle was identified on I-95 around the 158 mile-marker.
The driver of the suspected vehicle refused to stop when a trooper tried to stop them, starting a pursuit.
The car chase continued southbound, with the suspected carjacked vehicle striking and overturning a state trooper car before being forced to come to a stop south of the Cardinal Road underpass.
Around the 150-mile marker on I-95, state troopers intentionally crashed into the suspected carjacked vehicle to stop it.
According to Virginia State Police, the driver didn’t listen to troopers’ commands during the stop and abruptly moved his hands, which prompted troopers to fire their weapons. The driver was killed in the shooting.
One passenger in the vehicle was flown to Fairfax Hospital and is in stable condition awaiting surgery. A third passenger is in State Police custody with no injuries.
The four troopers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation of the shooting. The Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney will be reviewing the investigation once it concludes.
Southbound lanes from about Dale City to Dumfries on I-95 were blocked after the shooting at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday. Only one southbound lane reopened at around 6:30 a.m. Thursday, complicating the Thursday morning commute. All lanes opened up by 8:20 a.m.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
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