An alarming number of people flee when police try to pull them over for traffic stops. Often, it’s because of what they know the officers will find in the vehicle or because of the crime they may be running from. Last year, one Virginia man led police officers on an extensive high-speed chase as he tried his best to get away from their traffic stop. Now, he’s been handed over his punishment. 

This Virginia man eluded a traffic stop, and how has prison time

According to NBC Washington 4, on October 30th last year, law enforcement officers in Loudoun County received a call about suspicious behavior on the road. This call led them to try to conduct a traffic stop with Joseph Christopher Daniel. At the time, he was driving a stolen Hummer. Upon noticing that the police were following him, he made what’s probably the worst decision of his life and refused to stop. 

Joseph led the police officers trying to conduct the traffic stop on a 30-mile high-speed chase. According to reports, this was during a busy time of day for traffic. Sadly, this means he also put innocent civilians at risk. In total, this high-speed police chase lasted about half an hour. During this time, the stolen vehicle reached speeds of 100 miles per hour.

Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson said, “It is really a miracle that no one was killed or injured in this case.”

After the police stopped Joseph, he tried to get away on foot and even attempted to steal another vehicle. However, police officers were able to tackle him before he could cause any more carnage. Now, almost a year later, he has pleaded guilty to felony eluding and drug possession. Apparently, he had taken meth before stealing the Hummer and evading the traffic stop. He says the drug kept him alert during the chase. He got six years of prison time for the crime.