Standardville, VA - Suspect Breaks Window Of Running Green Co. Sheriff's Car With Rock - 1Hr Chase - Suspect Shot And Killed

Stanardsville teen killed in shootout
Media General News Jan 1,2010


 At least a dozen State and Albemarle County police officers were on the scene after a high-speed police chase that led through three counties. Police said a man stole a Greene

County police car then led authorities on the chase through before being stopped on Route 20 near Carter’s Bridge. The suspect was then shot by police on the scene.
 

 The teen died in a shootout with police Friday on Route 20 after he stole a patrol car from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and led police on a three-county chase, state police said.

The trouble began shortly before 1 p.m., when Greene County sheriff’s deputies received a report that Colby W. Eppard, 18, was using a pickup without permission, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.

County authorities found Eppard quickly, but he refused to pull over and eventually crashed, she said.

He ran into some nearby woods, and a deputy followed, locking his running car with one set of keys in the ignition, she said. Law enforcement officers often carry two sets of keys, to allow them to leave their vehicles running and locked.

Eppard then circled as he moved through the woods and got back to the patrol car before the deputy, Geller said. She said he used a rock he found nearby to smash one of the car’s windows, then took off in the vehicle.

He led authorities on a chase that moved into Albemarle County, then into Nelson County, before returning to Albemarle, she said. During the chase, Eppard intermittently used the marked car’s siren, Geller said.

She said he also used the car’s radio to talk to deputies, though none responded, and attempted to run several vehicles, including police cars, off the road during the chase.

Authorities managed to put spike strips in front of the car Eppard was driving, Geller said.

At one point, Eppard fired a gun from the cruiser at an officer deploying one of the spike strips, Geller said.

Police used a model with hollow, detachable spikes that gradually deflate tires. But authorities said deflated tires didn’t deter Eppard as he drove northward on 20.

“The suspect actually was running on his rims,“ Geller said.

For the second time Friday, at about 2:30 p.m., Eppard crashed after refusing to stop voluntarily, she said. The patrol car came to a halt just south of 20’s intersection with Red Hill Road, roughly halfway between Charlottesville and Scottsville.

“The subject then got out of the vehicle and started firing on the law enforcement officers,“ Geller said.

Police shot back, killing him on the spot, she said.

The state police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation was still examining the scene Friday evening, and police expected to keep 20 closed until late Friday.

Geller said that because the investigation is ongoing, police wouldn’t discuss how many shots police fired, how many shots hit Eppard or how many shots Eppard fired. None of Eppard’s shots hit officers, though he put bullets into some cars, Geller said.

Geller also declined to discuss whether the firearm Eppard used came from the patrol vehicle he stole.

Officers involved in the shooting were being put on paid administrative leave Friday afternoon, as is standard procedure, Geller said.

“It’s for their welfare, as well,“ Albemarle County police spokesman Lt. Todd Hopwood said. “I mean, it’s a traumatic situation that they’ve found themselves in.“

It was not immediately clear how many Albemarle County police officers were involved in the shooting. The Virginia State Police and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office each had one officer involved.

It’s been about eight years since the area’s Virginia State Police division was involved in a shooting.

It’s been about two years since Albemarle County police were involved in a shooting, Hopwood said.

Greene County Sheriff Scott Haas referred all questions to the state police.
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