A suspect has been arrested after police say he fled a traffic stop Sunday night and fired at a Fairfax County officer during the ensuing chase, striking the officer's cruiser at least twice.
The officer was not injured.
Brian Neftali Landaverde, 21, of Herndon, has been charged with attempted capital murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony, Fairfax County Police announced Tuesday.
Police have said a Fairfax County officer tried to stop a car on Georgetown Pike about 11:45 p.m. Sunday after seeing the driver run a red light at Walker Road in the Great Falls area.
The driver did not stop until after making a left turn on Rossmore Court, at which point a passenger jumped out and ran. The driver then took off again, and then turned around in a cul-de-sac, driving straight at the police cruiser and opening fire, police said.
The cruiser was struck by bullets at least twice, once in the hood near the windshield on the driver's side and one in the right rear quarter panel.
The officer followed the car until losing sight of it in a hilly and wooded area.
Police said Tuesday that Landaverde was in jail on unrelated charges in Herndon when a detective with the Herndon Police Department contacted Fairfax County Police with information that led to the new charges.
Police say there were two juveniles, ages 16 and 17, in Landaverde's car just before the shooting. One of the juveniles got out of the car before the shooting, police said.
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Police said they still haven't found Landaverde's car.
"Anybody that's willing to shoot at a marked police car knowing it's a police officer is a danger not only to the brave men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department but to each and every member of our community," Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. said after the incident.
