2 Men Face Felony Charges After Target Shoplifting Report, I-95 Pursuit

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Two men are facing felony charges after a shoplifting report at the Target on Carl D. Silver Parkway led to a vehicle pursuit that ended in Stafford County, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department.

Shortly after noon on Friday, the E-911 Communications Center received a report of a shoplifting in progress at the Target at 1180 Carl D. Silver Parkway, police said. The caller reported that the suspects were leaving the area in a U-Haul vehicle.

Responding officers confirmed that two men had stolen Lego merchandise from the store, according to police. One suspect left the area in the U-Haul and was seen traveling south toward Route 3, police said.

Officers conducted a traffic stop and arrested the driver, identified as Stephon Sherrick Davis, 29, of Richmond, according to the police report. Davis is known to have been involved in similar thefts in the past, according to police.

Davis is facing three felony charges in Fredericksburg General District Court: shoplifting or altering merchandise valued at more than $1,000, conspiracy to commit larceny of more than $1,000 and retail theft of more than $5,000 in 90 days, court records show. His hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29, according to court records.

Police: Suspects Fled Target In Separate Vehicles

Officers later learned that the second suspect had fled in a red Chrysler, police said. Officers located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not comply, maneuvered around vehicles and struck three vehicles while trying to evade officers, according to police.

The pursuit continued onto the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 and into Stafford County, where Stafford County deputies and Virginia State Police joined the response, according to police. The suspect avoided deputies and state police before colliding with another vehicle and losing control near mile marker 141 on I-95, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department.

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Officers saw the suspect exit the car and run across the southbound lanes into a nearby wooded area. A Fredericksburg Police K9 team tracked the suspect and apprehended him, according to the department.

The suspect was identified as Jayden Ja’Shun Ballard, 21, of Mechanicsville, according to police. Ballard was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of possible injuries from the K9 apprehension and the vehicle crash, according to police.

Retail Theft Charge Is A Class 3 Felony

Ballard is facing several charges in Fredericksburg General District Court, most of them felonies, court records show. The charges include shoplifting or altering merchandise valued at more than $1,000, conspiracy to commit larceny of more than $1,000, wearing a mask in certain places, felony eluding, obstruction or resisting without force, three counts of failing to stop after an accident involving more than $1,000 in damage, retail theft of more than $5,000 in 90 days and driving without a license, according to court records. His hearing is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Police said Ballard was also served on four open warrants, including two from Richmond, one from Chesterfield and one from Henrico.

For both Davis and Ballard, the most serious charge they face is retail theft of more than $5,000 in 90 days, a Class 3 felony. Under Virginia’s sentencing guidelines for Class 3 felonies, a conviction can carry a prison term of five to 20 years and a fine of up to $100,000.