Police pursue vehicle in U.S. 29 chase

Dave Thompson / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: January 10, 2008

What began as a high-speed pursuit Thursday resulted in multiple charges for a Lynchburg man, according to Sgt. David Cooper with the Virginia State Police.

According to Lt. Greg Turner with the Amherst County Sheriff's Office, the chase originated in Lynchburg with a report of an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

A white Chrysler PT Cruiser driven by Larry Anderson, 32, of Lynchburg, was heading north on U.S. 29 toward Amherst County. Cooper said the vehicle was a rental.

Cooper said that at about 2:10 p.m., State Trooper D.T. Wilson overheard the Lynchburg pursuit on his scanner.

Anderson's car hit a vehicle near the Wal-Mart in Madison Heights, but Cooper said the accident was minor. No information was available on the other vehicle.

After calling the Amherst County Sheriff's Office, Wilson saw the vehicle near the intersection with Virginia 130 and joined the chase.

The Amherst County Sheriff's Office set spike strips on the road, about two miles from the bypass, flattening both tires on the driver's side of the vehicle.

"The vehicle was running approximately 85 miles per hour then. It went out of control, struck a guard rail on the right side of the road, crossed through the median, struck a guardrail on the left side, went back through the median, struck a guardrail again on the right," said Cooper.

Cooper said the car drove another two miles north, and was finally pulled over by officers from the Amherst County Sheriff's Office and the Town of Amherst Police Department. Things got complicated during the pursuit, Cooper said, when Wilson saw Anderson throw what appeared to be a gun from the window.

The gun was recovered, Cooper said, and turned out to be stolen.

Anderson was charged with felony attempt to elude a police officer, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of marijuana, hit and run, property damage and possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony.

No information was available on charges brought by the City of Lynchburg.

Anderson was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital due to back pain.

Both he and his passenger, Cory Lawerence, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., are being held without bond.