4 Evading Police Got Ride From Unwitting Resident in Fairfax County

A Fairfax County homeowner unknowingly drove four people who fled the scene of police chase to a gas station Thursday morning, police said. 

A Fairfax County officer tried to stop a car for speeding in the area of Fairfax County Parkway and Popes Head Road about 6:30 a.m. The driver would not stop, police said, and eventually, all five people inside the car jumped out and ran into a heavily wooded area. 

Police took one of them into custody several hours later in the 11600 block of Popes Head Road. Investigators believe the man in custody was driving the car, Fairfax County police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said. 

He was driving on a revoked license and was charged with speeding and reckless driving.

The other four occupants went to a home and told the homeowner their car ran out of gas. The homeowner gave the group a ride to a nearby gas station. The homeowner asked them about the situation, and all four ran from the gas station, at which point the homeowner called police. 

For now, only the driver will face criminal charges. As passengers, the four may not face criminal charges, but that could change if police learn they were involved in a crime prior to the traffic stop. 

The four passengers are unaccounted for, but police say there's no threat to the community.

Authorities initially said they were looking for five people. At one point, they increased the number to seven before reducing it back to five. 

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