Attempted robbery leads to police chase and shots fired in downtown Richmond

An attempted robbery in downtown Richmond on Monday afternoon led to a hostage-taking situation, a police chase and shots fired, according to WTVR.

The situation began with a carjacking at the BP gas station on East Main Street in Shockoe Bottom where two male victims were abducted by an armed suspect, Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham said at a press conference Monday afternoon. 

When the victims told the suspect that they had no cash, the suspect had them drive to the Bank of America on East Main Street, where one victim went into the bank to withdraw money, while the other stayed in the car with the suspect. The victim in the bank called 911 and never returned to the car, Durham said. 

The suspect then had the second victim start driving the car, which led to a police chase through areas in downtown Richmond, the fan district, Henrico County and ending near the East End, Durham said. 

The 35-minute pursuit ended at 25th and R Streets in the Church Hill area. The police used spike strips to slow the car down and the pursuit eventually ended when the vehicle came to a stop after turning a corner on two flat tires, Durham said. 

Once the car was stopped, the suspect fired once at the victim driving the car in the head and then turned and fired at the police officers through the back window, Durham said. Officers returned fire, striking the suspect. 

Both the victim and the suspect have been transferred to a local hospital where they are being treated for life-threatening injuries, Durham said. 

A Richmond Police officer also suffered minor injuries in the incident, according to NBC 12 News.

The Richmond Police, Henrico County Police and Virginia State Police all aided in the pursuit of the suspect, Durham said. The identity of the suspect and victim are not known at this time. 

J.E.B. Stuart Elementary and Armstrong High School, both located in the vicinity of where the police chase took place, were briefly on lockdown due to the chase, according to WTVR.

Contact managing editor Brooke Harty at brooke.harty@richmond.edu.