Simone Jasper
The Charlotte Observer
A state trooper got stuck in the door of an SUV — and then was dragged on a Virginia interstate as the driver went up to 115 mph, officials said.
The trooper was wedged in the door for about 3 miles before the SUV slammed into trucks on Friday, Dec. 2, according to Virginia State Police.
A 38-year-old was later arrested and faced multiple charges, including attempted capital murder. Police in a news release didn’t share attorney information for the man, identified as Milton Jermaine Lewis of Delaware.
At about 4 p.m., officials said the trooper noticed an SUV speeding on Interstate 295 in Henrico County, in the Richmond area. The driver was accused of going 97 mph in a 70 mph zone before he was pulled over.
After the trooper walked up to the SUV, police said the vehicle “sped off at a high rate of speed, which caused the passenger side door to close on the trooper. Caught in the door, the trooper was dragged approximately 3 miles as the SUV reached speeds of up to 115 mph as it continued south on I-295.”
The SUV reportedly hit two tractor-trailers before it crashed near the exit for Creighton Road. The driver then ran from the scene, officials wrote.
State police shared a photo that shows a vehicle with damage to its front end. Troopers reported finding a handgun in the SUV and tracking down its driver.
Officials said Lewis “was charged with reckless driving by speeding, felony eluding of a police officer, having a concealed weapon, altering a serial number on a firearm, felony assault of a law enforcement officer, abduction, attempted capital murder, failure to maintain control of a vehicle, no seatbelt, felony hit and run.”
Both Lewis and the trooper had injuries believed to be minor and non-life-threatening.
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