Fredericksburg Jury Convicts Man Of Attempted Murder In Police Shootout

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A Fredericksburg jury has convicted a local man on multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, stemming from a November 2024 shootout with law enforcement in a busy shopping district.

Lawrence Dale Toler II was found guilty Tuesday evening of six felonies following a two-day trial in the Fredericksburg Circuit Court. In a separate bench trial, a judge also convicted Toler of a seventh felony: possession of a firearm by a violent convicted felon.

The convictions follow an incident on Nov. 2, 2024, when six deputies from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office attempted to arrest Toler at 3024 Plank Road. The location sits within a large commercial area near the Spotsylvania Mall along the city-county border.

Related: Deputies Shoot Armed Man, Bystander Outside Fredericksburg Gas Station

According to evidence presented by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, deputies used their vehicles to box in Toler’s car to prevent him from fleeing. Toler attempted to drive away before brandishing a pistol and pointing it directly at one of the officers.

Multiple deputies returned fire, striking Toler in the head and ending the confrontation.

During the subsequent investigation, Virginia State Police special agents recovered the pistol from Toler’s vehicle along with a collapsible Kel-Tec rifle equipped with an extended magazine.

The jury returned guilty verdicts on the following charges:

• Attempted murder
• Use of a firearm in the commission of attempted murder
• Attempting to cause bodily injury to a law enforcement officer
• Use of a firearm to attempt to cause bodily injury to a law enforcement officer
• Simple assault of a law enforcement officer
• Felony eluding

Fredericksburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Elizabeth Humphries, who prosecuted the case alongside Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey, credited the quick actions of the deputies for preventing Toler from escaping into the crowded shopping area with high-capacity firearms.

Toler is scheduled to be sentenced in Fredericksburg Circuit Court on June 26.