CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A man police say stole a running car with a 2-year-old child inside at a Wawa on South Military Highway in Chesapeake early Thursday morning admitted to doing so in a jailhouse interview.
“The only thing I regret is getting in that car,” said Dakwan Khiree Stephenson, one of three people arrested in connection with the incident, during an exclusive interview with 10 On Your Side’s Andy Fox. “That child was in the back lying down, and I regret taking that car.”
Chesapeake police believe Stephenson stole the vehicle at the Wawa. He faces a long list of charges, including abduction of a minor; auto theft; conspire auto theft; receive goods used in an investigation valued at $200 or more; possession of a Schedule I or II drug and disregard a police command to stop, endangerment, which are all felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, obstructing justice without threats or force; driving after forfeiture of license, etc. and contempt of court—fail to appear-felony/misdemeanor/summons.
The incident happened around 12:32 a.m. at the Wawa in the 3400 block of S. Military Highway, police say. Police say a woman, the aunt to the 2-year-old boy, told them she left her child in the running car when she went to pay for gas, and when she came back the car was gone.
“I am about to pull off and I hear some noise in the back,” Stephenson said from jail, “and I turn around and I see a baby get up from the floor of the car. So, I turned around to take this baby back. I got to get back, I thought. I just turned around.”
After a search, she was able to find the car parked next to the building with the child inside. A review of surveillance video showed a group of men pull up in a pickup truck before the incident, with one getting out and stealing the car. Shortly after, video showed the car return and the suspect, who police believe to be Stephenson, gets out.
Arthur Lee Bunch, left and Daron Dwayne Pierce face charges in connection to an incident in which police say a car with a child inside was taken from a Chesapeake Wawa.
That’s when he gets into what turns out to be a Ford pick-up with Daron Dwayne Pierce and Arthur Bunch, who were also arrested in connection to the incident.
Pierce has been charged with attempt/commit abduction of minor and conspire to commit or assist in larceny with aggregate value over $200, both felonies. Bunch faces the same charges as Pierce, but he also faces felony charges of possession of a Schedule I or II drug, and receive stolen property/goods—$200 or more.
“All of a sudden, the cops are behind us, and I think we got to get away,” Stephenson said.
Police would put out a “be on the lookout” for the suspects’ truck, and found it in the Deep Creek area. That kicked off a pursuit that stretched to Greenbrier, back to Deep Creek, before finally ending on I-664 near College Drive. WAVY viewer Dequante Bazemore sent in a video of the chase.
They led police on a 20-mile, high-speed chase, at speeds up to 105 mph.
“We were not going 105 mph,” Stephenson said.
However, police said the chase went on for 18 minutes.
“OK,” Stephenson said in response.
Did he acknowledge that?
“Somewhat,” he said.
Why didn’t they stop and not force police to pursue them and force them to use spike strips to stop them?
“I was scared sir,” Stephenson said. “I was scared, petrified.”
After police stopped the car, Stephenson took off on foot, but police caught him and found crack cocaine in his pocket.
Shown the arrest warrant and the word, “cocaine,” on it, Stephenson had this to say.
“I smoked, I smokes crack cocaine,” Stephenson said. “I need help. It’s a bad habit.”
All three men had bond denied.