Jury Convicts Man of Stealing Car from Norfolk Dealership, Eluding Police in 2022
NORFOLK, Va. — A jury convicted 28-year-old Quran A. Chatman today of burglarizing a small car dealership, stealing a vehicle, eluding Norfolk Police, and crashing the vehicle in 2022.
On March 13, 2022, around 11:30 a.m., Mr. Chatman pried open the garage door of a small car dealership on East Little Creek Road while it was not open for business and no one was around. The business’ security system notified the owner of the breach, and the owner watched surveillance video of Mr. Chatman while he broke in. Once inside, Mr. Chatman stole the keys to a yellow Chevrolet Camaro convertible. Mr. Chatman got into the car and drove it through a chain-link fence onto East Little Creek Road.
The owner contacted Norfolk Police, and nearby officers were instructed to be on the lookout for the yellow convertible. Soon after the BOLO, an officer saw Mr. Chatman driving the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. When the officer approached Mr. Chatman, he sped off. Officers pursued Mr. Chatman, who drove the wrong way at speeds in excess of 75 mph down Sewell’s Point Road and back onto East Little Creek Road, until the police determined it was too dangerous to continue following Mr. Chatman and called off the pursuit. Just after the pursuit was called off, the officer saw Mr. Chatman fishtail the car and crash into parked cars at a different auto dealership. The crash caused the convertible to flip onto its roof, and Mr. Chatman was ejected from the vehicle. Mr. Chatman was knocked unconscious from the crash, and officers were able to detain him at the scene. No one else was injured.
On Tuesday, after about two hours of deliberation, the jury found Mr. Chatman guilty as charged of burglary, possession of burglarious tools, grand larceny of an automobile, misdemeanor destruction of property, and felony eluding police. Mr. Chatman is docketed for sentencing before Judge Everett A. Martin Jr. on April 26.
“Mr. Chatman victimized a small business owner and then drove incredibly dangerously,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Chatman is lucky to be alive, and the community is lucky that he did not hurt or kill anyone else. I am grateful to the Norfolk Police for their quick work on this case.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks is prosecuting Mr. Chatman’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective John A. Schraft Jr. led the investigation.
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