Virginia State Police chase ends in Arlington, results in arrest and multiple felony charges

A police chase ended last night in Arlington with a state trooper injured and the alleged fleeing driver in custody.

The chase started on I-395, when a Virginia State Police trooper’s automated license plate reader flagged a Cadillac that was wanted by Fairfax County police. During the chase, a trooper’s vehicle was rammed and crashed along northbound I-395 in Arlington.

The suspect then abandoned the car on the GW Parkway at Route 50, near the Roosevelt Bridge, according to state police. He was subsequently taken into custody and identified as a 31-year-old D.C. man.

More from a VSP press release today, below.

At 8:55 p.m., a Virginia State Police trooper’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) alerted to a 2006 Cadillac sedan that Fairfax County Police was looking for. The trooper activated his emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop, but the Cadillac refused to pull over and sped away northbound on I-395. A pursuit was initiated.

As state police attempted to contain the vehicle to bring it to a stop, the Cadillac rammed one of the trooper’s vehicles. The impact caused the trooper’s vehicle to run off the side of the interstate and strike the Jersey wall. The Cadillac, meanwhile, kept going.

The pursuit ended when the Cadillac stopped on the George Washington Parkway near Route 50. The driver fled on foot. The driver was apprehended a short time later and taken into custody. A passenger was also taken into custody and later released. A handgun was recovered from inside the Cadillac.

State police charged the driver of the Cadillac, Nelson Bowman, 31, of Washington, D.C., with one felony malicious wounding on law enforcement, one felony assault of a law enforcement officer, one felony count of eluding police, one felony count of illegal possession of a concealed firearm, one felony count of hit and run, one felony count of destruction of property and one misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice

The trooper who struck the Jersey wall was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment of minor injuries.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The suspect is facing a half dozen felony charges, from eluding to assault on police to a gun charge.

He has previous criminal convictions, including an Arlington home break-in for which he received prison time and was currently on probation, according to court records cited by a Twitter user who tweets about public safety incidents.

Wanted driver by #FCPD, Nelson Bowman arrested by @VSPPIO last evening is a career criminal w/long history in VA/MD. Previous penitentiary time & jail time served, currently on 5 years probation from penitentiary release last year. @ARLnowDOTcom #DMVCrime @RealTimeNews10 pic.twitter.com/nSWloGrhYt

— Romeo (@RVANOVA01) February 9, 2023