PREVIOUS: Lynchburg Police say a driver who took off at high speed from an attempted traffic stop crashed into a utility pole and died. Police say the pursuit started near 11th and Madison Streets during the noon hour Tuesday and ended a short time later at 7th and Federal. Nearby resident Alan Shiflett tells reporter Andre Whitehead police approached the car with caution:
12-07 Shiflett bite-WLNI WEB-WEB
At last word, police had not released the driver’s name. They say the officer who attempted the traffic stop had terminated the pursuit before the fatal accident after noticing some of the police vehicle’s emergency equipment was not properly working.
NEWS RELEASE: The Lynchburg Police Department is investigating after a fatal single vehicle crash at 7th and Federal Streets this afternoon. On December 17, 2019, at 12:58 p.m., a Lynchburg Police Department officer initiated a traffic stop at 11th and Madison Streets. The driver did not stop and as the officer attempted to catch up with the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed. Less than a minute after beginning the pursuit, the officer terminated it because his emergency equipment was not functioning properly.