Stolen SUV With 3 Men Crashes On Route 1 In Dumfries: Police

DUMFRIES, VA — Prince William County Police Department officers arrested three men who were riding in a white SUV that crashed Wednesday afternoon while fleeing from police after leaving an apartment complex in Triangle.

At around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, police officers went to the Linden Park Apartments in Triangle. Residents had reported that gunshots had been heard in the area. Police witnessed a white SUV fleeing the scene upon responding to the report of gunshots.

After the police turned on their emergency lights after locating the white SUV, the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed on Route 1, the police said. As the vehicle approached the intersection with Dumfries Rd., the driver lost control and struck several other vehicles before overturning near the intersection in Dumfries, according to the police department.

One of the passengers in the SUV, later identified as Gabriel Alexander Bruins, 18, attempted to flee on foot while carrying a shotgun. After a brief foot pursuit, Bruins was taken into custody.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Perry O’Neal Bruins, 50, was taken into custody without incident at the scene of the crash. Another passenger, identified as Akil Sonesta Johnson, 37, was trapped in the vehicle and was pulled out by officers before being transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.

An investigation into the initial shots fired call revealed that an argument between two groups escalated when Perry Bruins fired a weapon into the air. The groups dispersed and the suspects fled in the vehicle before crashing. The vehicle was later determined to be stolen, the police said.

A sawed off shotgun and handgun were recovered from the suspects. One of the firearms had the serial number removed, according to the police.

Perry Bruins of Woodbridge was charged with one count of reckless handling of a firearm, one count of shooting a firearm near a school, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of grand larceny, one count of eluding, one count of possession of a sawed off shotgun and one count of alter serial number on a firearm.

Gabriel Bruins of Woodbridge was charged with possession of a sawed off shotgun, obstruction of justice and receipt of stolen property. Johnson of Triangle was charged with receipt of stolen property.

The three men are being held in jail without bond, with a court date scheduled for Nov. 12.