FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — A police chase on I-95 turned deadly Wednesday night when a man reportedly opened fire on officers after crashing his vehicle.
Around 9:40 p.m., a Virginia State Police trooper was alerted to a Jeep Cherokee with the wrong license plates displayed on it. Upon further investigation, the trooper noticed the vehicle was wanted in New York for an alleged abduction of a woman earlier in the day.
The Jeep was headed south on I-95, near exit 167 in Fairfax County, when a trooper pulled over the driver for a traffic stop. After the trooper identified the driver as the wanted abduction suspect, a 34-year-old from North Chesterfield, Virginia, they approached the vehicle, but the driver sped away, leading to a police chase.
The chase spanned 20 miles down southbound I-95. The Jeep then crashed near mile marker 152, when it struck the guardrail, but the driver continued southbound on the highway. At exit 140, near Quantico, the SUV ran off the right side of the road and crashed into the woods.
When troopers approached the vehicle, the driver started to shoot at them, authorities said. State police returned fire. According to Virginia State Police, the passenger in the car, a woman who was abducted and riding in the Jeep, was pronounced dead at the scene. She has been identified as Tatiana N. David of Ithaca, New York.
David's death was ruled a homicide.
The driver was flown to a nearby hospital for treatment for life-threatening injuries.
No state police were injured in the shooting. A firearm was also recovered from the Jeep.
State police are working with New York authorities in regards to the abduction investigation. Charges are pending.
For more than seven hours, traffic on I-95 was diverted as police continued their investigation. The southbound lanes on I-95 are now open.
David's remains have been taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Manassas for examination and autopsy.
The officers involved in the shooting have been place on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to state police policy.
The incident remains under investigation by the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Fairfax Field Office.