NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk man is sharing his story of a bizarre encounter with a suspect.

Tony Diaz ran from officers on Thursday night and a Norfolk neighborhood had a front-row seat to his arrest. Diaz is currently facing drug charges out of Fairfax County and thought a Virginia State Police Officer was pulling him over for that.

Turns out, troopers were pulling him over for driving on a closed shoulder on I-64.

He was apprehended by Virginia State Troopers and Norfolk Police Thursday night after an interesting getaway.

Les Baldwin was working to install a handrail on a neighbor’s home when he says Tony Diaz came up and asked him to use his phone.

“I pulled my phone out, handed to him and he dialed a few numbers and said ‘I’m cold, can we go inside?’,” said Baldwin.

Baldwin and his neighbor say they both thought that was strange since it was so warm outside, then several law enforcement officers came around the corner.

“Me and Dave put our hands up because we weren’t doing anything but this guy literally walked down the steps and laid on the ground,” said Baldwin. “When all the cops came around the side of the house we knew something was obviously wrong.”

State Police say Tony Brian Diaz was driving on a closed shoulder on I-64. Troopers tried to pull him over, but he exited off the interstate.

Troopers say Diaz thought he was wanted for outstanding warrants, but they were just pulling him over for driving on a closed shoulder.

Troopers say Diaz pulled into a West Ocean View Apartment Complex and got out of the car and ran. They say he ran through a nearby creek and ended up in a neighborhood near Chester and Granby Streets in Norfolk.

“He didn’t look wet and he didn’t look dirty like he ran through the swamp, but he complied almost immediately,” said Baldwin.

Baldwin says it was a scary situation, but he’s thankful for law enforcement’s quick response.

“You see a lot of stuff on Nextdoor saying they aren’t doing their job, but they were definitely doing their job yesterday because they swarmed this neighborhood and quickly,” said Baldwin. “I am just glad it ended like it did.”

Diaz was booked into jail for preventing officers from making the arrest. His court date on this charge is October 12th.

Diaz is supposed to be in court in Fairfax County on Monday, September 12, to face the drug charges there.

The drug charges were filed in April.