A man was sentenced to more than six years in prison for leading police on a high-speed chase that prosecutors in Virginia called the worst case of eluding they’ve seen in a decade.
The afternoon of Oct. 30, Joseph Christopher Daniel fled in a stolen Hummer when Loudoun County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about suspicious activity near Leesburg.
For 30 minutes across 30 miles, Daniel raced along some busy roads. On Route 7 heading toward Tysons, he drove across the median into oncoming traffic. He drove through construction zones and tore through turf. At times, the Hummer reached almost 100 mph.
“It is really a miracle that no one was killed or injured in this case,” Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson said.
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When the Hummer finally slowed to a stop in Vienna, Daniel bailed out and tried to carjack another car before running from police, who caught him and took him down.
“A Fairfax County police officer did an impressive tackle in bringing him down to the pavement in the street,” Anderson said. “So, this individual was not going to give up, and he absolutely deserved everything he got.”
Daniel pleaded guilty to felony eluding and drug possession. Prosecutors said he told them taking meth kept him alert so he could run from police.
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The judge sentenced Daniel to six years and three months.
“We are glad that the judge went above the guidelines as we recommended,” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jordan Ferbrache said.
Daniel also faces carjacking charges in Fairfax County for what happened at the end of the pursuit.
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