A woman is dead, and a man is hospitalized after a shootout with police on Interstate 95 in Virginia, authorities say.
It happened around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday when a Virginia State Police trooper spotted an SUV with the wrong license plates attached on I-95 in the Springfield area of Fairfax County, FOX 5 DC reports.
The SUV sped away when the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle.
The driver initially crashed into a guardrail, but kept heading southbound on the interstate, authorities said.
Authorities say a woman is dead and a man is hospitalized after a shootout with police on Interstate 95 in Virginia. (FOX 5 DC)
The SUV’s driver then apparently continued southbound into Prince William County in the Quantico area where they ran off the right side of the road and crashed into the woods. As troopers approached the SUV, the driver began shooting at them, officials said.
Law enforcement returned fire, striking both the male driver and female passenger.
The man was flown to a hospital with what police say are life-threatening injuries. The woman died at the scene. Neither has been identified.
Police say the man driving initially crashed near the 152-mile marker, when he hit guardrail, but then kept going south on I-95. (FOX 5 DC)
No officers were injured in the shooting. The troopers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, as is standard protocol.
A firearm was recovered from the SUV, officials said in a press release.
The shootout remains under investigation by the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Fairfax Field Office.
YOUTUBE PRANKSTER IN VIRGINIA HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING SHOT AT MALL
As troopers approached the SUV, the driver began shooting at them and state police returned fire. (FOX 5 DC)
The crash and shooting caused major delays for early morning commuters.
Traffic in the area started moving again around 7:42 a.m. when the Virginia Department of Transportation tweeted that the I-95 southbound left lane in Quantico was open. The department said to continue expecting delays or use an alternate route.
