NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — A 34-year-old man topped speeds of 120 mph during a pursuit from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel overnight before crashing, according to Virginia State Police.
The roughly 85-mile pursuit started just above the Virginia state line in Pocomoke, Maryland, after Maryland State Police and the Pocomoke Police Department tried to stop the car. Both the driver, Christopher Northcraft, and the passenger, 35-year-old Brandy Bowman, had warrants on file in Maryland.
When their Toyota Camry reached the Virginia line, Virginia State Police deployed spike strips but they weren’t able to stop the car.
Northcraft and Bowman then continued south, and when they got to the bridge-tunnel they went about 90 mph through the toll plaza, police say.
Just before the pair got to the North Channel high rise on the Eastern Shore side around 1 a.m., Northcraft lost control and struck a curb. That sent the vehicle spinning and it flipped over and landed on its roof.
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 say.
In a release, police called Northcraft and Bowman’s injuries “major” but not life-threatening. Both were flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Police rode with both suspects because they say Northcraft was combative with rescue personnel.
The crash is still under investigation and Northcraft, of Brooklyn Park, Maryland, faces multiple pending charges for the pursuit.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Police dispatchers reported at 1:09 a.m. that all travel lanes were closed due to the crash. The lanes reopened at 4 a.m., according to a tweet from CBBT.
Stay tuned to WAVY.com for upates.