Williamsburg, Va. - Dash cam video shows a Williamsburg Police chase that doesn't quite end like you'd expect. In this chase, the suspect keeps going and the officer stops.
“It's really for the safety of the citizens,” says Major Greg Riley, with the Williamsburg Police Department.
Riley says 21-year-old Maurice Chapman had just stolen more than $200 in tips from the College Delly Monday when an officer spotted him driving on Richmond Road.
However, it wasn't long until Chapman was gone. The officer let him drive off. Why? Because Williamsburg Police have a no pursuit policy.
“Our policy here in Williamsburg is that we're not going to engage in vehicle pursuit unless it's for a known felony involving violence,” Riley says.
He says Chapman got away not only because he wasn't considered violent, but also because Chapman was not driving recklessly.
“There was no speeding or running through stop signs or stop lights or anything like that,” Riley says.
With so many neighborhoods and tourists in such a small area, Riley says they don't want to put those people in danger with a police chase.
Chapman turned himself in on Wednesday, May 20, at 2 p.m. at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail. He is charged with grand larceny and eluding police, authorities say.
