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Police pursuit starts at Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, ends in crash at HRBT

Posted at 4:28 PM, Feb 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-26 11:32:19-05

NORFOLK, Va. – The westbound lanes of I-64 at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel were shut down due to a vehicle pursuit on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Friday afternoon.

The Northampton County Sheriff’s Department told News 3 the pursuit was initiated by the Cheriton Police Department in Northampton County, Virginia.

A Cheriton Police officer was doing traffic enforcement on Route 13 when a vehicle came through at a speed of 87 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver of the vehicle continued.

The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the incident at 2:38 p.m. to assist with the pursuit. Three Northampton County units and one unit from the Cheriton Police Department were deployed.

Patrick Nilo Gil

The Virginia Beach Police Department was notified in case the pursuit extended to the other side of the bridge.

VBPD said that while driving across the CBBT, the suspect attempted to hit a CBBT Police Officer who was out of his vehicle on the bridge. Near the end of the bridge in the 4400 block of Northampton Boulevard, Virginia Beach Police officers were trying to deploy stop sticks to stop the vehicle. This attempt failed, and the driver continued driving recklessly on Northampton Boulevard.

During this pursuit, officers attempted two other deployments of stop sticks, which were also unsuccessful. The suspect continued driving at a high rate of speed until he was able to drive back onto I-64.

Officers from the VBPD and Virginia State Police continued the pursuit to the HRBT. The officers successfully deployed stop sticks near the tunnel.

The suspect continued into the tunnel, where it caused a multi-vehicle crash. The crash will be investigated by State Police.

Virginia Beach Police arrested and charged 45-year-old Patrick Nilo Gil of New York with several violations, including reckless driving, eluding police and two counts of felonious assault. More charges are pending.

Stay with News 3 for updates.