Suffolk man in custody in IW

Published 9:40 pm Wednesday, February 1, 2017

A Suffolk man was in custody Wednesday night after law enforcement officers in Isle of Wight say he used his vehicle to ram a police officer, caused a fire at a gas pump, led officers on a vehicle pursuit and then attempted to flee the vehicle on foot.

Raydrin Alexander Smith, 26, of the 100 block of Nancy Drive, was in custody, according to a press release from Lt. James Pope of the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office.

The incident started when the sheriff’s office was assisting the Windsor Police Department with a narcotics operation in the parking lot of the Windsor Food and Gas at 60 W. Windsor Blvd., according to the release.

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A Windsor police officer in a marked police cruiser pulled up to the suspect vehicle with his emergency equipment activated to conduct a traffic stop, the release stated.

That’s when the suspect allegedly used his vehicle to ram the police officer as he was exiting his car, Pope stated in the release. He then allegedly backed over the gas pumps, knocking the pumps off and causing a fire.

The suspect then allegedly exited the parking lot and led units on a vehicle pursuit that ended in the parking lot of Southern States, 9242 Windsor Blvd. The suspect and two passenger exited the vehicle and fled on foot, according to the release. All three were taken into custody after a short foot pursuit.

Smith allegedly was the driver of the vehicle, according to the release. Investigators were in the process Wednesday night of obtaining multiple felony warrants against Smith, including for attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer.

The Windsor officer was airlifted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and was listed in stable condition on Wednesday night, according to the release. His injuries did not appear life-threatening.