Culpeper police looking for driver after chase, crash

Police are looking for a driver who stole a county vehicle, led police on a chase around downtown Culpeper and fled the scene of a crash late Sunday night.

Sgt, Tim Chilton pursued the driver after witnessing him running the stop sign at Edmondson and West streets shortly before midnight.

But there was something else amiss about the license plates, Chilton said.

“To see a local government car this late at ngiht?“ he questioned, adding that the windows were foggy.

The driver initially stopped on Blue Ridge Avenue, Chilton said, but the chase was just beginning. The driver took off, leading Chilton on a chase down several town streets in a stolen Social Services car.

“The ignition was punched,“ Chilton said.

The driver led Chilton down Davis, Fairfax, Commerce and Spencer streets before losing control at the intersection of Spencer and West streets — a block from where the chase began.

He crashed the stolen car into a Ford Mustang parked on West Street and fled on foot, Chilton said.

As of midnight, police still were looking for the driver. Chilton gave no details about the driver other than saying search dogs were tracking him.