Driver leads police on high-speed chase into oncoming traffic on Little River Turnpike
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| Police tackle a driver after a high-speed chase on Little River Turnpike. [From a video by Laura Reynolds.] |
A high-speed police chase on Little River Turnpike in Annandale Nov. 11 resulted in several collisions, as a driver headed into oncoming traffic.
No one was hurt, the Fairfax County Police Department reports.
The driver, Edward Jerome Butler Jr., age 32, of Washington, D.C., was charged with two counts of misdemeanor hit and run, reckless driving, possession of marijuana, window tint violation, resisting arrest, attempted malicious wounding, assault on a law enforcement officer, felony hit and run, and felony speed to elude.
Gary Bollinger who was driving east on Little River Turnpike during the incident, narrowly escaped a head-on crash.
Bollinger, a resident of Oakwood Village in Annandale, was heading to the Home Depot on Little River Turnpike at about 5 p.m. to buy air filters.
He was the first car in the line stopped at a red light on Little River Turnpike, when he saw a burgundy car – he thinks it was a Dodge Charger – head toward him on the wrong side of the road at about 80 mph.
“It definitely scared me,” Bollinger said. The other car fishtailed, and Bollinger swerved so hard, all the tire pressure lights came on in his brand-new SUV, a 2017 Ford Escape. The other car kept going.
“There were literally a ton of Fairfax County police cars on the other side of Little River chasing him,” Bollinger said.
Bollinger pulled over for a minute to collect himself. In his rearview mirror, he saw the car barreling down the road into oncoming traffic being chased by the police at full speed as other cars were flashing their headlights.
Bollinger was shaking as he pulled into the Home Depot parking lot where he called a friend. “I was happy to be alive. It was one of those life-flashing-before-your-eyes moments.”
“If I had been texting and driving and not paying attention, I would have been hit,” he says. “Someone under the influence or elderly would have been hit. That’s how close of a call it was. I’m thankful it was me, a cognizant, reactive driver.”
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| Butler [FCPD] |
According to the FCPD, an officer noticed a car driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed near the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Columbia Road at about 4:50 p.m. The officer tried to stop the car, but it fled. Additional officers from the Franconia and Mason District stations joined the pursuit.
“The fleeing driver then started to drive in the opposite lanes of travel on Little River Turnpike, putting the public at risk. After a short distance, the fleeing car returned to the right side of the road but still ignored the pursuing police cars behind him,” the FCPD states.
“At some point, the fleeing driver made an abrupt U-turn on Little River Turnpike near Pinecrest Vista Drive and hit a police car, almost head-on. Somehow the fleeing driver was able to continue over the center median again and started traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Little River Turnpike,” the FCPD continued.
“Because of the escalating danger to the public,” the police used a “precision immobilization technique,” which forced the vehicle to spin. The driver was able to regain control of the car, however, and drove head-on into another police car, leaving it completely disabled.
The officers then blocked the fleeing vehicle with several other police cars. Washington got out and attempted to flee on foot but was quickly caught. “While taking the driver into custody, he resisted arrest and disregarded officers’ commands. It took several officers to control him and get handcuffs on him,” the FCPD reports. He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on no bond.
Laura Reynolds, who took a video of the incident, said, “I saw the car get surrounded by cops and the driver tackled after he tried to run. It was chaos.”
After about 20 minutes, as Bollinger was returning to Little River Turnpike, he saw a wrecked car on a tow truck and another wrecked car with a smashed windshield.
At that point, Little River Turnpike was closed to traffic and cars were turned back one by one as they had to take a detour, leading to long backups.
21 responses to “Driver leads police on high-speed chase into oncoming traffic on Little River Turnpike”
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This was like a scene right out of the movie "War on the Planet of the Apes''
Just another senseless crack-head creep racing around in Annandale out of his jigged up gourd smashing into people.
I just saw this movie, I was pleasantly surprised, pretty fun! Didn't see many cop car chases though, which leads me to believe that perhaps your inference is related to his race and a comparison to apes. Then again, certainly dont want to put words in your mouth so maybe you can clarify.
When you are educated by eurocentric thinkers you gonna act like Mr. Butler acts…like a white person…these pro white people are so proud…but if the earth is destroyed by a man made exstinction level event its going to be rich white peoples fault…eye think driving around annandale crazy is a far smaller sin than destroying the planet…anywho…that pro white shit is lame…kill yourself
And you don't think you live in the slums, think again, this is the ghetto baby.
no.
Spoken like someone who has never seen an actual slum. Very few slum dwellings average $450,000. Also not sure how a car chase equals a slum, especially since the gentleman in question was not from Annandale.
Mr Albright, even slums have a baseline value. Look at the news in the last few days reported by this blog. And that says it all. When leadership and the county's attorneys come out from hiding in their safe havens and actually do something constructive, only then will we see the news change around in a positive direction.
idiot…you never to a slum before obviously
They all seem to want to land in Annandale.
I like the window tint violation, icing in the cake.
Silly Monkey
?
Like Edward Jerome Butler Jr., age 32, of Washington, D.C. just swung down outs the trees. Ape has Killed Ape Adam you can take the monkey outs the jungle but you cantz take the jungle outs the monkey jig up yo fool ins his monte carlo comes creeping around cuz
Wat
We should deport ignorant people!
when you are educated by eurocentric thinkers you will act like a ape…just remember…when the black man was building pyramids the european was living a caveman life…you ever notice pure Africans and Asians have no body hair? But apes, apes got a whole lot of body hair
Halloween night, a man is hit on Evergreen Lane and Alpine; and now this. When is Annandale going to stop trying to become the wild, wild west and where citizens should be living in a peaceful environment?
“There were literally a ton of Fairfax County police cars on the other side of Little River chasing him,” True story… considering on of those vehicle weighs TWO tons..
Back in August some crack head creep totaled 12 cars and then car jacked another in the Safeway Parking lot and began smashing into more cars. All the while yelling "Live for Jesus"
This man IS Annandale
I grew up in Annandale for 35 years. I'm a legal immigrant with a family now. My times have really changed then.