A man allegedly assaulted a child, carjacked a pick-up truck and led police on a chase that ended with a violent crash that sent eight people to the hospital Wednesday night. Now, the man is facing multiple charges in the wake of his wild rampage in Fairfax County.
The suspect has been identified as Brendan Stefon Vinson, 28, of Adelphi, Md. has been charged with with carjacking, speed to elude, two assaults on police officers and receiving stolen property.
According to police, the dramatic and bizarre chain of events started around 7:49 p.m. when officers were called to a home in the 6100 block of Autumn Dr. after receiving a report of a child who had been assaulted by a suspect after answering the door.
After the attack, the suspect fled the neighborhood in a stolen vehicle and drove to a nearby shopping center. That's where the suspect hit a pick-up truck in the parking lot and got into an altercation with its driver. He then carjacked the truck and fled the scene.
Police responding to the initial assault saw the truck, with a trailer in tow, speeding away from the shopping center and gave chase. Police pursued the suspect northbound on Centreville Road. The chase ended abruptly after the fleeing truck ran a red light at the intersection of Frying Pan Rd. and rammed into a mini-van, injuring it's seven passengers.
The force of the impact ejected a child from the vehicle, who had to be flown to a local trauma center. On Thursday afternoon, the child remained in critical condition.
The six other occupants of the van were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Officials said the suspect fled the scene of the crash on foot and officers gave chase. Once they caught up with him, the suspect tried to fight them off, injuring one of the officers. The injured officer was also taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Both officers are expected to return to work.
According to police, the suspect is also receiving treatment at a local hospital and is facing multiple charges. On Thursday afternoon, police said the suspect was displaying erratic behavior. Back-up was called the hospital on Thursday after police say the suspect tried to wrestle out of his handcuffs.
Police are still investigating multiple scenes and are working to determine the motive for the suspect's rampage.
A woman and five children remain hospitalized. The two officers that were injured are okay.
