Fleeing Driver Reached 100 MPH During Stafford Chase: Police

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — A Fredericksburg man reached speeds of 100 mph during a police chase in Stafford on Tuesday, the county's sheriff's office said in a news release.

No injuries were reported in the chase.

In a report, authorities identified the fleeing driver as 23-year-old Jhonattan Varela Rangel. He is charged with felony eluding, reckless passing on a curve, reckless driving, driving without a license, passing on a double-yellow line, failure to obey traffic lights, and improper passing on the left.

Rangel is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

The chase began around 10 p.m. on Tuesday on southbound Warrenton Road near Olde Forge Drive. A deputy said he saw a Dodge Charger driving faster than the surrounding traffic.

The deputy saw the Charger use a turn lane to pass another vehicle. "By the time Deputy Charoenthep turned on his emergency equipment, the Charger was traveling 80 mph in a 45 mph zone and continued to speed up," the sheriff's office wrote in a report.

The Charger reached speeds of 100 mph on Solomon Drive as other deputies joined the chase. The fleeing driver almost crashed into an oncoming police car on a blind curve on Butler Road, authorities said. The deputy was able to avoid a crash thanks to radio updates.

The Dodge Charger eventually stopped at the intersection of Butler Road and Castle Rock. Rangel was detained without incident, according to authorities.

"When asked why he was driving in such a reckless manner, Rangel advised he wanted to get home fast," the sheriff's office said. "Due to his actions, he would not be getting home any faster."