Chase suspect faces attempted murder charge

A Pennsylvania man is charged with attempted capital murder of a law-enforcement officer after a Monday afternoon chase on U.S. 29 in Madison County.

Additional charges are forthcoming against Cody Thomas Schaff, 18, of Shippensburg, Pa., according to a release from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies received a call around 5:30 p.m. that a truck had been stolen from the 7-Eleven store in Madison. Another vehicle left at the 7-Eleven had been stolen from Pennsylvania, deputies said.

A deputy spotted Schaff and the stolen truck at the Sheetz in Madison, according to the release. The suspect jumped into the vehicle and accelerated south on U.S. 29.

During the chase, Schaff allegedly pulled up behind a sheriff’s cruiser and attempted a pursuit immobilization technique, striking the left rear of the patrol vehicle and striking the vehicle again after it spun around sideways.

Police are trained to use such a procedure — commonly called a PIT maneuver — to end chases.

The patrol vehicle skidded onto the right shoulder, according to the release. The deputy was not injured.

The suspect’s vehicle also skidded off the right side of the road, striking a guardrail and rolling over several times.

Schaff was ejected from the truck, according to the release. He was transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.

Schaff was at the Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange Tuesday night. No bond information was available as of press time.

His first court appearance is scheduled for next Tuesday.