MARTINSVILLE, Va. – What began as a traffic stop ended on a tiny, one-lane road on the outskirts of Martinsville after a lengthy police chase, car crash and an officer left in the hospital after a shooting.
A bizarre series of events Martinsville police chief Robert Fincher has never seen.
“We’ve dealt with people with weapons, we’ve dealt with people using their vehicles as a weapon, but I think this is the first time we’ve encountered something of a truck of this size being used as a weapon,” Fincher said.
Fincher said around 2 p.m. Saturday, an officer pulled over a car for a minor traffic violation.
“The vehicle didn’t stop until it went into the county, and as the vehicle stopped, he noticed a lot of movement in the vehicle,” Fincher said.
When the car did finally stop, Jonathan Easter got out of the car with an AR-15-style rifle. Easter dropped the weapon at the officer’s direction but then ran off.
“He had to contend with the people that were still in the car, and the rifle laying on the ground, so he called in for other officers to come and assist,” Fincher said.
The search continued, as Easter stole a Freightliner truck from a parking lot.
Another officer patrolling nearby on a one-lane road saw the truck coming at him.
“The truck increased speed and purposefully rammed the patrol vehicle,” Fincher said.
The patrol car was about to be pushed down a steep embankment — but before that could happen, the officer fired several shots into the truck.
“Fortunately no one was hit by the gunfire and the officer was able to take the person into custody without any further incident,” Fincher said.
Easter is being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond for prior outstanding warrants.
The investigation has been turned over to State Police, and no charges have been filed yet. Fincher has shared with 10 News that they are looking at attempted capital murder of a police officer.
As for the officer, Fincher said he is recovering after being released from SOVAH Health with few injuries.
As of right now, this is still an active investigation by VSP.