Man found guilty after leading officers on multicity chase with stolen car
Nov 29, 2024
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A man was found guilty after leading police on a multi-city chase with a stolen car in 2023.
According to officials, on March 14, 2023, 22-year-old Zachary Turner Morgan hotwired an unlocked car at a car dealership on Bonney Road in Virginia Beach and drove off with two of his friends.
Later on that same night, an officer with the Chesapeake Police Department, who was patrolling the area of Indian River Road, attempted to pull Morgan over after tracking him reaching speeds of up to 100 mph. Morgan disregarded the officers command and began speeding off towards Norfolk.
Police then said Morgan hydroplaned several times during the pursuit, even at one point swerving off the road and into a residential property. Eventually, Morgan crashed while attempting to turn going 100 mph at the corner of East Berkley Avenue and Berkley Avenue Extended. Morgan then ran off, police said.
Officers were eventually able to locate Morgan hiding outside of a house on Mahone Avenue, where he was then arrested and charged with felony eluding. Morgan's original charges of receiving a stolen vehicle and felony eluding out of Chesapeake were eventually withdrawn by the prosecutors.
On Nov. 21, 2024, Morgan pled not guilty to felony eluding and requested to be tried by a judge. The judge, Mary Jane Hall, found Morgan guilty as charged.
"Mr. Morgan stole a car and then drove at triple-digit speeds on the surface streets of our city," Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said. "He is luck that he did not kill anyone. All Mr. Morgan had to do was stop when he was in Chesapeake, and he never would have been in Norfolk for us to prosecute him. He made a poor series of decisions, and we will now seek a sentence that reflects the seriousness of his conduct in our city."
Morgan's sentencing is scheduled to take place on Jan. 17, 2025.
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