Seven teenagers and young adults were injured following a crash that began as a police pursuit of a minivan in Prince William County Tuesday morning.
Virginia State Police say the 2009 Toyota Sienna first caught the attention of Fort Belvoir Police on the base around 1:45 a.m. An officer tried to pull the minivan over after noticing the driver seemed to be having trouble staying in one lane.
The officer followed and noticed a broken taillight, Fort Belvoir Police Chief John Cerra said. After attempting to stop the vehicle, it began to accelerate at Route 1 and Telegraph Road.
The officer contacted state police when the pursuit continued on to Interstate 95.
"This started as a pursuit from Fort Belvoir that came out onto I-95 South. It was a van load of teenagers," said Charles Davis with Virginia State Police.
The driver exceeded 100 mph -- driving out of the Fort Belvoir officer's site -- and tried to take the 156B exit at high speed, losing control and running off the left side of the ramp. The minivan overturned, coming to a stop at the tree line.
The Fort Belvoir officer came upon the accident when he took the exit, News4's Megan McGrath reported.
Four of the seven occupants were thrown from the van when it crashed. Police say the driver was a woman in her early 20s; her passengers included a 23-year-old male, a 21-year-old male, a 17-year-old male, and three 15-year-old girls. All seven were flown to nearby hospitals; one of the 15-year-old girls is being treated for life-threatening injuries.
Fort Belvoir police do not know where the group is from.
Crews pulling out wrecked minivan in Dale City. Van full of teens crashed fleeing police. https://t.co/9xkV6HVj7p — Megan McGrath (@MeganMcGrath4) March 11, 2014
