Crime & Safety
Police Arrest Man Who Was Shot By State Trooper During Chase
A Harrisonburg man was taken into custody Friday after getting released from the Reston Hospital Center for treatment of a gunshot wound.
STERLING, VA — The Virginia State Police shot a man on South Sterling Boulevard Thursday night following a car chase that began on Route 50, the police said. The man, Michael E. Bonner, 54, of Harrisonburg was released Friday from the Reston Hospital Center for treatment of a gunshot wound and was taken into state police custody.
Bonner was charged in Loudoun County Friday with grand larceny of a vehicle, eluding police, hit and run, driving without a driver's license and unauthorized use of a stolen vehicle, and is being held at the Loudoun Adult Detention Center.
The incident began around 7:30 p.m. Thursday when a 2017 Ford Escape passed a Virginia State Police trooper as they were traveling east on Route 50 in Loudoun County. The trooper's license plate reader alerted the trooper that the Ford had been reported stolen in Fairfax County, according to police.
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The trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Bonner refused to stop and sped away on Route 50 near Tall Cedars Parkway, according to the state police. During the chase, the Ford Escape reached speeds of up to 100 mph and rammed two state police vehicles that were attempting to contain the fleeing vehicle in order to bring it to a stop, the police said.
State police again surrounded the vehicle and forced it to a stop on South Sterling Boulevard near Shaw Road in Loudoun County.
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"During the course of engaging with the pursuit suspect in order to take him into custody, Bonner was shot at by state police," the state police said. The police did not say whether the suspect was holding a firearm when he was shot.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Fairfax Field Office is investigating the officer-involved shooting. Once the investigation is completed, state police will turn its findings over to the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney for review.
In accordance with policy, the trooper involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
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