Fleeing Suspects Crash Into State Trooper In Jail Parking Lot: Police

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — Two suspects from Florida crashed into a Virginia state trooper in the parking lot of the Stafford County juvenile detention center on Wednesday, authorities said.

No injuries were reported in the crash or chase, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities identified the suspects as 21-year-old Jeffrey Wilson and 27-year-old Leskeil Richards. Both men are from Florida.

Wilson is charged with obstruction of justice, two counts of reckless driving, hit and run, and felony eluding. Richards is charged with obstruction of justice, falsely identifying himself to law enforcement, two counts of forgery, and identity theft. Both men were held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

If convicted of all charges, Wilson could face up to 18 years in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines. Richards could face up to 23 years in prison.

The incident began around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The Fredericksburg Police Department learned that someone had broken into several vehicles and stole credit cards. One victim reported that their card was used at the Central Park Target, authorities said.

Target employees provided a description of the suspect's car to investigators. A Virginia state trooper saw the car on northbound I-95 and tried to stop it, according to the police report. The driver refused to stop.

The state trooper chased the suspects into Stafford County, toward the juvenile detention center. There, the suspect's car crashed into the trooper's, according to the sheriff's office.

Authorities reported that the driver and a passenger in the fleeing car ran away from the scene of the crash.

An off-duty deputy from Stafford County helped the trooper take the driver into custody, authorities said.

A police K-9 helped deputies track the passenger as he ran through the nearby woods. Deputies arrested him as he ran along Richmond Highway.

"Further proof that running from law enforcement in Stafford County will just make you tired, and prolong your stay at Rappahannock Regional Jail," the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook. "Thank you to Virginia State Police and the Fredericksburg Police Department for your assistance in apprehending these two individuals."