NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A 34-year-old Maryland man wanted in connection to an 85-mile pursuit down the Eastern Shore that ended in a crash is now in custody following an attempt to escape police.
Early in the morning on October 19, Christopher Northcraft and 35-year-old Brandy Bowman led police on a roughly 85-mile pursuit that started just above the Virginia state line in Pocomoke, Maryland.
Police say it began after Maryland State Police and the Pocomoke Police Department tried to stop the car.
After going nearly 90 miles per hour at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Northcraft lost control and struck a curb sending the vehicle spinning. It then flipped over and landed upside down.
Northcraft broke out of the back window and tried to get Bowman out of the car, before he went over a guardrail and fell about 30 feet to the ground below, police said.
Once police arrived on the scene, they determined that Northcraft and Bowman’s injuries were “major” but not life-threatening. They were flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, accompanied by state police troopers.
Days later, on October 22, Virginia State Police received a call from an unknown caller stating that Northcraft was set to be released from the hospital that morning during shift change. An unnamed employee was expected to wheel him out to a vehicle in an attempt to escape authorities.
Troopers arrived on the scene and located Northcraft before he could escape, however, he barricaded himself in a room and attempted to escape through a window.
Police say he was ultimately released from the hospital into police custody and transported to the Eastern Shore Regional Jail. He faces charges for felony eluding, reckless driving/general, reckless driving by speed, no operator’s license and driving with no headlights.
In addition, Northcraft was served with outstanding warrants that were obtained by Accomack County and by the law enforcement agencies in Maryland.
He is being held with no bond.
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