PATRICK COUNTY, Va. — A high-speed pursuit early on December 26 led to the arrest of James Aaron Briggs, 41, of Ararat, Virginia, following an intense chase through Patrick County and into North Carolina. Briggs now faces multiple felony charges after fleeing from law enforcement officers and being caught with methamphetamine and firearms in his vehicle.
The chase began after Briggs was identified as a suspect in a Christmas Day domestic assault, where he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and made threats to shoot members of her family. Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith confirmed that Briggs had also been wanted for several months due to a felony probation violation.
On the morning of December 26, Lieutenant Dustin Foley of the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office spotted Briggs’ vehicle near River Road around 2 a.m. and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Briggs, however, fled the scene, initiating a high-speed pursuit.
The chase, which covered several roads in the Ararat and Willis Gap areas, escalated when Briggs allegedly rammed Foley’s patrol vehicle on Lovell Pond Road. Despite Lieutenant Foley’s attempts to use Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuvers to stop the vehicle, Briggs continued to evade capture, even spinning his vehicle out of control multiple times.
The pursuit crossed into Surry County, NC, where Master Deputy Eric Sain of the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase. Sain deployed spike strips at the intersection of Johnson Creek Road and Willis Gap Road, but Briggs managed to avoid them. The chase ultimately continued into Mount Airy, NC, where Surry County law enforcement took over the pursuit.
The chase came to an end when Briggs’ vehicle ran out of gas and came to a stop in a Mount Airy driveway, where he was arrested by North Carolina authorities.
Upon Briggs’ arrest, law enforcement discovered two handguns and a large quantity of methamphetamine inside his vehicle. Briggs was charged with the following:
Felony Eluding a Law Enforcement Officer
Felony Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer
Assault and Battery
Sheriff Dan Smith expressed relief that Lieutenant Foley was unharmed during the dangerous chase, noting that the push bumper on Foley’s patrol vehicle helped absorb much of the impact when Briggs rammed the vehicle.
“We are very fortunate that Lieutenant Foley was not injured during this incident. The damage to his patrol vehicle was minimal, thanks to the push bumper absorbing much of the impact during the ramming incident,” Sheriff Smith stated.
Briggs is currently being held without bond at the Surry County Jail, with additional charges possibly pending as the investigation continues. Sheriff Smith praised the teamwork between the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office, which ensured the safe apprehension of the suspect.
“This was a dangerous and unpredictable situation, but the teamwork between our department and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office, along with our skilled deputies, ensured that the suspect was safely taken into custody without further harm to anyone involved,” Sheriff Smith added.