NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — On Tuesday, a jury convicted a 28-year-old man of burglarizing a Norfolk auto dealership, stealing a car and eluding police.
On March 13, 2022 around 11:30 a.m., Quran A. Chatman broke into a small car dealership on East Little Creek Road while it was closed, according to the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
The owner of the business was alerted by the security system and watched as Chatman broke into the business on the surveillance camera.
After entering the dealership, Chatman stole the keys to a yellow Chevrolet Camaro convertible and drove it through a chain-link fence onto East Little Creek Road.
The owner contacted police, and a be on the lookout (BOLO) was issued for the yellow convertible. A short time later, officers spotted Chatman and stopped him, but Chatman sped off when they approached the vehicle.
Officers pursued Chatman as he drove down Sewell’s Point Road and back onto East Little Creek Road at speeds in excess of 75 mph. At some point, officers determined it was too dangerous to continue following Mr. Chatman and called off the pursuit.
Soon after the pursuit was called off, an officer witnessed Chatman fishtail the car and crash into parked cars at a different auto dealership. The convertible flipped onto its roof, and Chatman was thrown from the car. Chatman was knocked unconscious and officers were able to detain him at the scene. No one else was injured.
After about two hours of deliberation, the jury found Chatman guilty of burglary, possession of burglarious tools, grand larceny of an automobile, misdemeanor destruction of property, and felony eluding police.
“Mr. Chatman victimized a small business owner and then drove incredibly dangerously,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Chatman is lucky to be alive, and the community is lucky that he did not hurt or kill anyone else. I am grateful to the Norfolk Police for their quick work on this case.”
Chatman is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Everett A. Martin Jr. on April 26.
