A Norfolk man will spend the next two years and nine months in prison after leading police on a reckless chase through city streets that ended in a crash and injured another driver.
Back in April, police spotted 32-year-old Vernell Curtis Freeman sitting in a car at the JANAF shopping center. Officers recognized him and knew he had outstanding arrest warrants. When they tried to stop him, Freeman hit the gas.
His girlfriend was in the car as he jumped curbs, tore through a bank parking lot, and sped west on East Virginia Beach Boulevard. Police called off the pursuit near Military Highway due to heavy traffic, but Freeman didn’t stop. Instead, he drove into oncoming traffic and crashed into another vehicle, injuring the driver.
After the wreck, Freeman ran from the car—which was still in drive—leaving his girlfriend inside as it rolled into some bushes.
Freeman pleaded guilty in September to felony eluding and felony hit-and-run, agreeing to serve up to the midpoint of his sentencing guidelines. Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted the plea and formally sentenced him on October 31.
Judge Lindsey handed down two years and two months for the new charges and tacked on another seven months for violating his probation from earlier convictions—bringing Freeman’s total prison time to two years and nine months. After his release, he’ll be on supervised probation for five more years.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi didn’t mince words in his public statement:
“Once again, what should have been a routine interaction between the police and a suspect went bad when Mr. Freeman, instead of stopping and complying, endangered himself, his girlfriend, the police, and the people around him,” said Fatehi. “Had Mr. Freeman stopped, everything would have gone better, including for him.”
This case adds to a growing concern in Norfolk and other Virginia cities where split-second decisions turn routine law enforcement stops into dangerous public incidents.