CHARLES TOWN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A traffic stop attempt by the Charles Town Police Department on the evening of January 9 led to a vehicle pursuit, a crash, and the arrest of two Maryland men.
The incident began around 8:57 p.m. when an officer attempted to pull over a vehicle for running a red light on US Route 340 near the John Adam Link Bridge.
Instead of stopping, the vehicle accelerated and turned onto Flowing Springs Road, running another red light at the Saratoga Drive intersection.
With emergency lights and sirens activated, the pursuing officer observed the vehicle pass other cars on a double yellow line.
Near Shenandoah Junction Road, the fleeing vehicle collided with a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office vehicle providing assistance and then struck a utility pole.
The driver and passenger fled on foot but were apprehended after a brief chase.
Rodney Andre Petitt, 26, of Baltimore, Maryland, was identified as the driver and charged with several offenses, including:
- Felony fleeing in a vehicle with reckless indifference
- Misdemeanor fleeing on foot
- Improper registration
- No operator’s license
- Two counts of failure to obey a traffic signal
- Two counts of improper passing
The passenger, 25-year-old Derrell Samuel Coakley of Dundalk, Maryland, was charged with misdemeanor fleeing on foot.
After being cleared by medical personnel, both men were transported to the Eastern Regional Jail.
Jefferson County Magistrate Fraley arraigned the suspects, releasing Petitt on a $10,000 bond and Coakley on a $2,000 bond.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
