NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A man wanted on several outstanding charges died Thursday after exchanging gunfire with officers following a pursuit earlier in the day, police said.
Norfolk Police confirmed its officers were involved in a pursuit Thursday afternoon of a man, later identified as Santonio P. Lee, 45, who was wanted on several outstanding charges in Norfolk, to include malicious wounding, use of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, police said.
Lee also had outstanding warrants out of Virginia Beach for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting within city limit, threatening bodily harm and destruction of property, police said.
The call came in about 2:30 Thursday afternoon.
It began with surveillance of Lee by Norfolk police at a McDonald’s restaurant on Hampton Boulevard. Lee’s family told 10 On Your Side his son lives with his mother nearby.
The chase began eastbound near Greenbrier Ave., then turned right on Glen Myrtle, with speeds reaching 60 mph on a narrow street that stretches five blocks, with multiple stop signs and cars parked on both sides in some spots.
Lee then led police down Woodview and out on to Hampton Blvd. southbound.
The pursuit ended with a crash on Terminal Boulevard, near the train tracks. Police said the man fired a weapon, “at which time Norfolk Police officers discharged their service weapons.”
Lee was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he later died, police said.
The Emergency Department at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital went into lockdown around 3:12 p.m. after receiving a trauma patient, Sentara’s Corporate Communications Advisor Joe Fisher said. The lockdown was lifted around 4:45 p.m.
A witness explained the scene he saw while he was going home.
A green sedan in the right lane had pulled over for the cops, according to the witness. The suspect driving the silver sedan crashed into the green car and was then hit by a police car, pushing the suspect’s car into the median, the witness said. Then, that person heard shots.
“I don’t know if he was trying to get out of the car, and shooting at the same time, but I started hearing popping sounds and saw police with their weapons drawn heading toward his car with him standing out in front of it before he went down,” said witness Sammy Amalla. “It was a little surprising. It took me a minute to register what the popping sound was. And then it was just kind of hunkering down in the car and watching through the mirrors to see what was going on.”
Another witness said he was on his way to work and saw police trying to stop the car.
“They attempted to pit maneuver the vehicle, they hit the vehicle once it started to go out of control,” said witness John Moutray. “But then, when it regained control, it attempted a maneuver a second time when the vehicle became disabled. After the second hit, a male…exited the vehicle, brandishing a firearm and fired multiple shots towards the police department, at which point they returned fire.”
Moutray said the man went behind his car and popped back up, and “… attempted to fire multiple shots again towards the police. They returned fire, struck him, at which point he fell down. After he fell down, they surrounded him, giving him commands to relinquish his firearm for their safety and his own.”
Moutray said the man at one point dropped the firearm.
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi responded to the active scene.
“As the chief minister of justice for Norfolk and the person who would be ultimately responsible for judging whether any use of force was justified or not, I’ve come out here personally so that I can walk the scene and so that I can be familiar with it first hand,” Fatehi told 10 On Your Side.
The Virginia State Police took over the scene and began their investigation.
“I will review the final report from the State Police and make my decisions and release my findings then,” Fatehi said.
No officers were injured during the incident, police said.
The officers involved in the incident will be on administrative duty “pending the outcome of the active investigation.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations or submit a tip through the P3Tips app.
Images showed a large police presence and a silver car that came to a stop in a ditch on Terminal Boulevard. It had a bullet hole in the rear window.
Chopper 10 also flew over the scene Thursday afternoon.
“The standard for a police officer is the same standard as it is for a private citizen,” Fatehi said, “which is that if you are going to use lethal force, the only time you are allowed to use lethal force is if a reasonable person in your shoes in the moment would think that you are going to be the subject of deadly force or somebody near you is going to be the subject of deadly force.”