NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A police pursuit of a vehicle that lasted for nearly 17 minutes Thursday and extended from Norfolk into Virginia Beach ended near Witchduck Road with a man being led out of water and into police custody.
“It’s something you would see in Hollywood when I saw the video,” said attorney Eric Korslund in talking about the video 10 On Your Side showed him of 23-year-old Kimahni Lankford, pulled from the water after he tried to escape.
Police say around 6:48 p.m. investigators noticed a stolen vehicle on the 200 block of W. Princess Anne Road. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over and a chase ensued.
The driver eventually stopped on I-264 eastbound, near the Witchduck Road exit, jumped out of the vehicle and took off on foot. Officers caught up with the suspect and took him into custody at 7:05 p.m.
“It’s great video and really captures what you just described,” Korslund said. “The only thing I can say is, it is a serious chase.”
10 On Your Side’s Andy Fox saw the chase unfold, with at least 12 police units in pursuit, and was at the scene when police were bringing a man into custody.
The man appeared to shout something to Andy, who then asked the man, “What did you do?”
He responded, but it wasn’t immediately clear what the man said.
Police arrested Lankford, 23, of Norfolk and charged him with possession of ammunition by a felon, possession of stolen property and felony eluding of police.
Inside Lankford’s car, which he jumped out of as it was moving, to then rear-end an unmarked police cruiser, police found ammunition and stolen property.
“I would like to find out what happened,” Korslund said, “and why he did what he did. It’s definitely him. I cannot dispute that. What I saw in the video, those are my questions.”
The traffic jam cams do not do justice what was going on at Witchduck Road around 7 p.m. Thursday night.
10 On Your Side video shows the massive police presence following the stolen vehicle pursuit.
“I don’t know why he did it,” Korslund said. “I don’t really want to make any assumptions.”
The Norfolk Police Dive Team was here Friday morning. 10 On Your Side wanted to know what they found, but they had no comment.
“It looks like a serious chase,” Korslund said. “I think all chases are taken seriously. There is a strong police force evident. I saw that the Norfolk Police Dive Team was involved. Serious situation, absolutely.”
Lankford is not new to serious situations.
In August 2020, he was accused of shooting five people, including a one-month-old infant girl. The case would end with a jury deciding he was not guilty on 12 counts. Found not guilty, he had his life back.
The Virginia Beach Police Department and Virginia State Police assisted Norfolk Police in Thursday evening’s pursuit, and the Virginia Department of Transportation closed the Witchduck exit.
Lankford is being held in the Norfolk City Jail without bond as he faces another serious situation.
“It doesn’t help with the bond situation,” Korslund said. “He was fleeing from police, so it may be a challenge for him to get a bond on these charges, so he may be sitting in jail for the foreseeable future.”
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.