CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – UPDATE
Three men from Atlanta are facing charges for their involvement in a possible abduction and attempting to pass a fraudulent check, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Bobby Ward, 29 of Atlanta, has been charged with two counts of abduction, two counts of forge writing, two counts of utter writing, two counts of reckless driving, and two counts of driving more than 20 mph over the speed limit and failure to stop for law enforcement.
Mantavious Jones, 31 of Atlanta, and Leon Carr, 30 of Atlanta, have both been charged with two counts of abduction, two counts of forge writing and two counts of utter writing.
Authorities say it all started on Tuesday around 2:35 p.m. when officers were dispatched to Atlantic Union Bank in Riner for a fraudulent check as well as a possible abduction in Roanoke city.
When officers were on their way to the bank, they saw a suspicious vehicle and tried to pull it over.
Authorities say the driver refused to stop, and led officers onto I-81 into Roanoke County and then back into Montgomery County.
The chase reportedly ended off of the 114 exit in Christiansburg.
Authorities did not provide any further information on the possible abduction.
All three men are being held at Montgomery County Jail.
ORIGINAL STORY
An incident at a bank in Riner is what started a police chase that went onto Interstate 81 on Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to the bank at about 2:35 p.m. The chase eventually came to an end in Christiansburg on Route 8, just off Interstate 81. Fred Danner was sitting at the red light when the chase came to an end.
“The officers all got out, guns drawn and started the get out of the car, get out of the car, and I saw them remove two people from the car,” Danner said.
Based upon a witness description, a deputy saw the suspect vehicle and attempted to stop it.
During the chase, the vehicle entered Interstate 81, traveling north.
The chase was terminated once the vehicle entered Roanoke County, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Virginia State Police became involved and a short time later, the vehicle turned around and started traveling south on Interstate 81, eventually getting off at Exit 114. Radio traffic indicates speeds reached 125 mph at some points in the chase.
Officers from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Christiansburg Police Department, and Virginia State Police apprehended suspects at that time.
During the chase, a trooper’s vehicle was struck while the trooper was out of the vehicle and there were no injuries. Initially, police believed the suspect to have struck the trooper’s car, but after further investigation it was determined that a driver not involved in the chase hit the state police car.
Roanoke County law enforcement also assisted during this chase, according to a Roanoke County spokeswoman.
In a parking lot, a silver Ford Escape with Kentucky plates was surrounded by law enforcement vehicles. The back windshield of the Escape had been broken. Multiple witnesses described police perform a driving technique known as a pit maneuver to stop the car.
“The state police officer pulled out right beside of him and then swerved into his car, causing him to turn ninety degrees causing him to fly off the road into the grass," Danner said.
The incident in Montgomery County is still under investigation, along with another incident in a neighboring jurisdiction.
Danner was thankful the situation came to a peaceful end.
“It was perfectly executed, nobody got hurt apparently, so it was very interesting to watch," Danner said.