PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A Suffolk man has been sentenced to 12 active years in prison in connection with a crash in the Midtown Tunnel that killed a motorcyclist last year.
Police said De’monta Johnson was involved in a police pursuit that went into the Midtown Tunnel in late April 2019 when he hit and killed motorcyclist Kevin Joyner, 41.
Johnson was sentenced to a total of 30 years with 18 suspended on charges of felony homicide and eluding police Wednesday in Portsmouth Circuit Court.
Police say Johnson was the driver of a 1999 Mercedes involved in a serious crash in the Midtown Tunnel in late April. Portsmouth Police responded to the scene around 5:05 p.m. and found a sedan and motorcycle involved in the crash.
The sedan, a Mercedes, was fleeing from Chesapeake Police when he struck Joyner who was on a motorcycle.
Police said the Mercedes struck the motorcyclist in the rear, then kept moving and stopped just before the tunnel’s entrance.
Joyner was pronounced dead at the scene.