VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man is facing additional charges after a police chase early Sunday ended in a serious crash in Virginia Beach.
It started about 12:29 a.m. Sunday, when a Virginia State Police trooper spotted a Ram 1500 truck on Interstate 264 westbound that had previously eluded Virginia Beach police, according to a state police statement.
The Ram accelerated after passing the trooper, but the trooper did not initiate a pursuit at that time, state police say.
The Ram exited Interstate 264 at Independence Boulevard. The trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop at the intersection of Independence and South Plaza Trail, but the Ram allegedly sped away at over 100 miles per hour.
The Ram then allegedly ran a red light and crashed into a Mazda sedan and a Honda Accord at the intersection of Independence and Holland Road. A Norfolk woman in the Mazda suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital. The driver of the Honda, a Pennsylvania man, suffered minor injuries.
The suspect, Leon A. Pena, 18, of New Mexico, was taken to an area hospital. He is now facing charges of eluding, reckless driving, failure to wear a seatbelt, DUI, DUI-maiming, underage possession of alcohol, two counts of failing to stop at a red light, and a registration violation.