Louisa sees 2nd chase fatality

By Seth Rosen

Published: June 10, 2008

A 36-year-old Louisa County man died Saturday night when he crashed his Ford Thunderbird on New Line Road after being chased by authorities at high speeds, the second deadly pursuit in two weeks involving Louisa sheriff’s deputies.

Michael Ray Duncan Jr. of Cross County Road was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near the intersection of Three Chopt Road and New Line Road in Louisa.

Duncan, who led authorities on a four-minute chase at speeds in excess of 85 mph on the winding, two-lane road, lost control of his vehicle as he was fiddling with a loaded shotgun, Maj. Donald Lowe of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said.

A still-unidentified driver was killed May 26 while being chased by Louisa authorities when the driver’s Geo Metro crashed on Route 22 just over the county line in Albemarle County.

Louisa sheriff’s deputies were called to the home Duncan shared with his mother at 7 p.m. Saturday in response to reports of domestic violence.

Duncan and his 55-year-old mother, whose name authorities are withholding, had been arguing throughout the day when Duncan went into a “rage,” authorities said. He smashed a window, investigators said, and pointed a sawed-off shotgun at her, saying he would kill her and any law-enforcement officers he saw — and then left.

Deputies then secured a warrant for Duncan, and at around 9 p.m. spotted his car and called for backup. When the deputy turned on his flashing lights, Duncan accelerated down New Line Road, hitting speeds in excess of 85 mph, authorities said.

After a 3-mile chase, the deputies saw Duncan grab his shotgun and attempt to cock it while driving with one hand, Lowe said.

“When approaching the intersection, [deputies] were feeling like he was going to slow down and then bail out of the car and start shooting at deputies, as he said he was going to do,” Lowe said.

At that point, Duncan lost control of the vehicle and it struck an embankment, rolling over several times before ejecting him into a ditch. His loaded shotgun was found nearby.

Emergency medical workers performed CPR on Duncan, but without success.

Duncan was a convicted felon with a history of crime in California that included arrests for drugs, burglaries and assault, Lowe said.

Virginia State Police are investigating the fatal chase. The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office is also reviewing the incident.

Two weeks ago a deputy spotted a Geo Metro without license plates speeding on Route 22. The deputy chased the car for seven minutes at speeds in excess of 85 mph into Albemarle County, where it veered off the road and slammed into a tree.

The driver, who has still not been identified, died in the fiery crash. The car was stolen from another locality in Virginia, Lowe said.

Albemarle County police are still investigating the incident. It is taking some time to identify the driver because “nobody has called us and said someone is missing,” Lt. John Hopwood of the Albemarle police said.

The Sheriff’s Office has been “shocked” by the two fatal chases, Lowe said.

“I’ve been in law enforcement 20 years and I can only think of one or two fatalities in our county involving a pursuit,” he added.

Officers pursued Duncan at high speeds on a winding road because he was armed and considered a danger, Lowe said. The department’s policy is to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to continue a pursuit. If there are many cars on the road or deputies believe the individual is not a real threat, they may call off the chase.

Lowe said the policy is effective and that a decision to continue a chase is not taken lightly.

“A pursuit is just a no-win situation,” Lowe said. “If you let that person go, you never know, they may commit another crime. But if you continue with the pursuit and something happens, you are judged on that.”

Daily Progress staff writer Brian McNeill contributed to this story.