WINCHESTER, Virginia (AP) – Three men wanted in connection with a double homicide in South Carolina were captured after leading Virginia soldiers in a high-speed pursuit, officials said.
Virginia State Police said the suspects were captured on Friday after a police officer patrolling Interstate 81 in Shenandoah County spotted a vehicle that matched the description of a Ford Fusion included in the alert issued by authorities in Anderson, South Carolina.
The soldier waited for additional soldiers and initiated a traffic stop. The suspect’s vehicle stopped on the right shoulder before exiting at high speed, leading to a vehicle chase.
During the chase, the Ford ended up traveling south on the northern tracks. The driver lost control in Frederick County and the suspect’s car went down a landfill and hit a tree. The occupants fled on foot, but were soon captured.
The driver of the car was identified as Frank T. Rhoads, 39. He was charged with the crime of deceiving the police, driving recklessly and having altered or fictional license plates on his vehicle.
The car’s passengers were identified as Dominick M. Rhoads, 19, and William C. Flynn, 31.
All three suspects were being held on extradition warrants out of South Carolina.
South Carolina media reports indicate that the three men are wanted for murder in the February 6 deaths of 24-year-old Daquavious Tillison and 33-year-old Lorenzo Hunter.