A 21-year-old Reston man is facing serious charges after a high-speed chase that ended in Arlington last night.
The chase started around 10:45 p.m. on the Beltway in Fairfax County, after Virginia State Police were alerted to a stolen vehicle entering the Commonwealth from Maryland.
The chase continued north on I-395 until state police used a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver near the N. Glebe Road off-ramp, causing the fleeing driver to crash into a ditch.
The suspect was arrested after being found hiding in the trunk of the car, according to Virginia State Police. He has now been charged with attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer, among other felonies.
The crash and aftermath was recorded from a traffic camera by local public safety watcher Dave Statter.
Watch: @VSPPIO forced a vehicle they were chasing to crash on I-395N at S. Glebe Rd. The not-so-clear traffic camera video shows the vehicle heading down the hillside toward Glebe. It took a few minutes to get whoever was inside to surrender. At least one trooper was injured… pic.twitter.com/hK3svzts01
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) March 8, 2024
More, below, from a VSP press release.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. on March 7, 2023, Virginia State Police was notified by a Maryland law enforcement agency of a stolen 2015 Chevrolet traveling across the American Legion Bridge into Virginia. A Virginia trooper located the vehicle traveling on I-495 near Braddock Rd. and activated his emergency lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop. The Chevrolet refused to stop, sped away at a high rate of speed, and initiated a pursuit. As the stolen vehicle continued north on I-395, state police administered a pursuit intervention technique and brought the suspect vehicle to a stop near the Glebe Rd. exit.
The driver of the Chevrolet, Abiselome Belachew, 21, of Reston, Va., then crawled into the trunk of the vehicle to try and hide from the troopers. Belachew was taken into custody without further incident.
During the course of the pursuit, the Chevrolet rammed one of the trooper’s vehicles into the Jersey wall. The trooper suffered minor injuries.
State police charged Belachew with attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer, one felony count of hit-and-run (of the trooper’s vehicle), one felony count of eluding police, auto theft and driving on a suspended license.
The same suspect was previously charged with armed robbery in Montgomery County in 2019.