Officer Nearly Killed During Stop on I-95 in Stafford: Police

STAFFORD, VA — A man trying to flee a traffic stop Friday night in the area of 386 Warrenton Road drove onto southbound I-95 with an officer holding him from outside the vehicle and continued for about a third of a mile before finally stopping, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.

James Kevin Thompson, 44, of Vista Woods Road, was charged with attempted capital murder of a police officer, eluding police, resisting arrest, capias revocation of suspended sentence and traffic offenses.

He's being held without bond.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., an officer on routine patrol saw a white four-door Mazda Protege with a minor equipment violation headed north on Route 17 and pulled over the vehicle, which pulled off the road along the Interstate entrance ramp.

While running Thompson's information, the officer found he was wanted on a felony warrant from Stafford County for revocation of a suspended sentence. Thompson was asked to turn off the vehicle but refused, so the officer reached inside the vehicle to extract him.

That's when Thompson took off, reaching a speed of up to 50 mph with the officer hanging on from outside.

During the struggle, the gear shift was put in neutral and the vehicle coasted to the right shoulder of the road where it finally stopped. The deputy was able to put the car in park, remove the keys and arrest Thompson.

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