Things escalated quickly for a 28-year-old Portsmouth man following a police attempt to pull him over for driving with a known revoked license near Duke and Effingham Street in Portsmouth, Virginia, last Sunday night shortly before 8:00 p.m. The man, driving a black Mercedes, led the cops on a slow-speed chase, which ended when police laid out a spike strip on Frederick Boulevard. The vehicle came to a stop beside a gas station near Interstate 264, but the night was not over.
The man reportedly pulled out a gun and moved it toward himself while police surrounded the vehicle. The area was blocked off while a hostage negotiator and SWAT teams were called in. Eventually, the man surrendered near midnight.
While things could have ended even worse for this man, he now faces a slew of other serious criminal charges including felony eluding, obstruction of justice, driving on a suspended license, brandishing a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possibly additional charges. Thankfully, no property was damaged and no one was injured in the incident.
Facing such serious charges for a convicted felon could mean significant prison time and additional penalties for this young man. In situations like this, in order to protect one’s rights and one’s future, it would help to make sure one has a strong criminal defense team when one enters court. A strong, dedicated lawyer may be able to negotiate with prosecutors to come up with a plea deal. If it is found that police did not follow proper procedures, it may be possible to have charges reduced or even dismissed, depending upon the circumstances.
Source: WAVY.com, “Man surrenders following police chase, standoff in Portsmouth,” By WAVY News Staff, April 16, 2017