Red lights, speed limits and police spike strips failed to stop a Staunton woman from leading police on a high-speed chase Monday night through three jurisdictions before her arrest, police said.
Authorities with the Waynesboro Police Department arrested Sahvannah Nargi, 18, of Staunton, at the end of a 17-mile chase that started in Verona and ended on the residential Red Top Orchard Road in Waynesboro.
The pursuit started when Candace Jones, investigator, with the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office stopped Nargi as part of an investigation into graffiti in Staunton, Jones said.
“We had been doing an investigation on the
,” she said. “She was in my jurisdiction so we stopped her to come in for questioning. Then it started.”
Nargi rolled up her window and stepped on the accelerator, said Officer Lisa Klein, Staunton police spokeswoman. Then she rocketed south into Staunton, where she captured the attention of Staunton police, authorities said.
Nargi sped through more than eight red lights during the chase, blowing by signals at double the posted speed limit of 35 mph, Klein said.
The woman continued to ignore lights as she headed east out of the city on Route 250, Jones said. She flirted with speeds of up to 90 mph.
As Staunton and Augusta County authorites pursued her into Waynesboro, officers with the police department set spike strips across the road to stop Nargi, said Sgt. Kelly Walker.
But the spike strips didn’t work, he said.
“Another vehicle got in the way,” he said. “So it ended up going down in the Kroger parking lot and near Lew Dewitt .”
Walker said Nargi side-swiped a car as she plowed down Apple Tree Lane. She pulled onto Red Top Orchard Road where she exited the car and attempted to run from officers, Walker said.
“She got out, ran and tried to get away,” he said. “But she ended up being taken to the ground.”
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