A driver is in custody after he led authorities from Loudoun County to Fairfax County during a police pursuit Monday afternoon, authorities in Virginia say. That suspect hit multiple other vehicles and tried to carjack someone in the process, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
A woman who was in the car with the suspect during the chase told officers she was injured, but it was not immediately clear how or when she was hurt.
The pursuit began shortly before 2 p.m., after someone reported what they believed to be an abduction in progress, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said.
As deputies arrived to check out the situation, a man in a black Hummer drove away on Loudoun County Parkway in Ashburn, authorities say. The deputies tried to pull over the driver, who police later identified as 44-year-old Joseph Daniel.
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Instead, Daniel headed into Fairfax County, where county officers and and Virginia state troopers joined in the pursuit.
The chase continued onto the Capital Beltway in the Tysons area. At 2:45 p.m., the driver stopped at Chain Bridge Road and Flint Hill Road, got out of the Hummer and tried to carjack another vehicle before he was taken into custody, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities say no one in the other cars hit by the driver of the Hummer reported injuries.
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In Fairfax County, Daniel was charged with attempted carjacking, misdemeanor hit-and-run, felony hit-and-run, possession of a narcotic, felony eluding, reckless driving and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
Charges in Loudoun County are still pending, but police say Daniel is facing, at minimum, charges for fleeing and eluding police, as well as reckless driving.
It's still unclear whether an abduction happened. Police interviewed a woman who was in the car with the suspect.
Daniel, of Leesburg, is being held without bond in Fairfax County.
Court records in Loudoun County show a history of violent criminal charges against Daniel.
In 2017, he was charged with assault and battery of an ex-girlfriend.
Last year, he was charged with abducting a different ex-girlfriend, holding her captive in his bedroom for hours and threatening to kill her.
While on probation stemming from that case, he was charged with violating his probation because, police say, he ordered an Uber to drive by that victim's home and looked at it with binoculars.
Court records show most of the violent charges were dismissed, and the Loudoun County prosecutor who worked Daniel's case has not returned News4’s messages asking why they were dropped.
The Hummer Daniel was driving was reported stolen from Chantilly in March, police said. It was green when it was stolen and had been repainted black.
This is a developing story. Stay with NBC Washington for updates.
