Edgard Martinez Martinez

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

An intoxicated man in Virginia led deputies on a high-speed chase through North Stafford before crashing into the woods and trying to run—unsuccessfully, the sheriff’s office said.

Edgard Martinez Martinez, 38, was arrested late Thursday night, Aug. 7, after what the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office described as a reckless and dangerous attempt to flee law enforcement.

The chase began around 11:45 p.m., when a deputy spotted an Acura going 58 mph in a 35 mph zone near Stafford Marketplace on Garrisonville Road. 

When the deputy tried to stop the car on Staffordboro Boulevard, the driver turned off his headlights and took off.

The suspect spun out and hit a curb but kept driving, deputies said. He looped a commuter lot, swerved through a roundabout, and returned to Garrisonville Road—reaching speeds up to 100 mph, according to the sheriff's office. 

At one point, he faked a turn toward I-95, then shot across all lanes to hit northbound Richmond Highway, officials said.

A second deputy joined the pursuit as it intensified, until the first performed a PIT maneuver near Little Forest Church Road, sending Martinez's car spinning off the road and into the woods.

Edgard Martinez Martinez

Edgard Martinez Martinez

Stafford County Sheriff

With his car stuck in thick brush, Martinez Martinez ran—but didn’t make it far.

“He was in handcuffs faster than the flavor leaves a stick of Fruit Stripe gum,” Major Shawn Kimmitz mused.

Martinez Martinez was charged with:

  • DUI with a blood alcohol content between .15 and .20;
  • Driving suspended;
  • Felony eluding;
  • Driving without lights;
  • Reckless driving by speed;
  • Fleeing from law enforcement.

He is being held without bond at Rappahannock Regional Jail.