BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — A Maryland man has been charged after a multi-county police pursuit on I-79.
On Sept. 18, officers with the Bridgeport Police Department were dispatched to Meadowbrook Mall for a shoplifting complaint, according to a criminal complaint.
Prior to officers’ arrival, Antonio Brock, 27, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, “broke the glass to the kiosk of Cricket Wireless and put stuff in his backpack,” officers said.
Officers attempted to locate Brock, who had driven past Dick’s Sporting Goods in a dark gray Jeep SUV before performing “an illegal U-turn at the stop sign at the intersection of Mall Road,” according to the complaint.
At that point Brock “hit the gas” and drove around officers, almost hitting their cruiser; officers then began a pursuit of Brock, officers said.
Brock then ran the red light at the intersection of Mall Road and Johnson Avenue, going into the opposite lane at the intersection of I-79’s northbound lane and Johnson Avenue while “driving in speeds over 100mph,” according to the complaint.
While traveling on I-79, Brock “used the right shoulder of the road to pass vehicles” and in doing so “endangered and risked the lives of others,” before exiting on the Kingmont exit, officers said.
Officers lost sight of Brock on Pleasant Valley Road, but Brock was located near E-Solutions a few minutes later and taken into custody, according to the complaint.
While being processed, Brock stated that “he was driving the vehicle and ran because he was scared,” officers said.
Brock has been charged with fleeing with reckless indifference. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $15,000 bond.