Theft of Virginia governor's car ends with driver killed

A man who escaped a trooper's gunfire while stealing a car waiting to pick up Virginia's governor was killed hours later when he smashed the car into a tractor-trailer on an interstate south of town.

Authorities say they believe the man committed suicide when he rammed the 1999 Lincoln Continental into the oncoming truck while driving at a high rate of speed the wrong way down the interstate.

"I splattered him all over the interstate," said Don Steele, the driver of the tractor-trailer.

The man, who was not immediately identified, was fired at twice by a Virginia state trooper late Thursday night as he jumped into the rented 1999 Lincoln Continental which was idling outside an air terminal waiting for Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.

He was not seen again until shortly after 11 a.m. Friday when the car was spotted in the nearby town of Blue Diamond and police gave chase.

When the vehicle turned onto Interstate 15 on the southern outskirts of Las Vegas and headed south in the northbound lanes, police backed off and a helicopter followed him from overhead.

The car sped about four miles down the interstate, narrowly missing other vehicles, before hitting a pickup truck and then smashing into a tractor-trailer hauling cars. Debris from the wreckage was splattered over the interstate for a half-mile and traffic was backed up for hours.

"It looks suicidal to me," said Las Vegas Police Lt. Wayne Petersen. "He made no attempt to avoid an accident."

Virginia Trooper Tim Rice had left the rented 1999 Lincoln Continental to meet Gilmore after the governor arrived in his state's jet, when a man Metro Police police described as "dirty and unkempt" jumped into the car and sped away.

Rice ran after the car and fired at it, police said. There was no evidence that either the car or the thief was hit.

Gilmore was in town to meet with his state's Secretary of Technology Donald Upson and to speak tonight at the Consumer Electronics Show that both are attending.

Police were dispatched to Signature Flight Services, a private executive terminal at McCarran International Airport at 6005 Las Vegas Blvd. S., at 11:53 p.m. Thursday in response to reports of shots fired.

They discovered that Rice, who was assigned to his state's Executive Protection Unit, had after shouting out several warnings fired two shots at the stolen car with his .357 semi-automatic service pistol.

"I cannot say whether he violated any Virginia trooper procedures (by shooting at the fleeing suspect), but we are not viewing what he did as violating any of our laws," Metro Police Lt. Wayne Petersen said.

"He had a right to protect himself during a felony crime situation and had concerns for the safety of the dignitary he was assigned to protect."

Gilmore's press secretary Mark Miner, attending CES with the governor, said the stolen car was at one point heading toward Rice and that the trooper was dragged a short distance after reaching through an open window.

"He was doing his job and was in harm's way," Miner said. "He didn't know if it was just a case of the car being stolen or if the vehicle was going to be used to crash through the gate and go for the governor."

Rice's weapon was surrendered to Metro Police for ballistics tests. Rice, according to procedure, was placed on administrative leave and is returning to Virginia. Two Metro Police officers were assigned to Gilmore for the remainder of his trip.

Witnesses said eight police cars were following the 1999 Lincoln Continental after it was spotted Friday when it crashed.

"I was going 120 mph and he was pulling away," said Barry Stanford, a witness who was driving in the southbound lanes following the chase. "I think this was a suicide run. This guy was wanting to die, no doubt about it."

Police, though, said the cars backed off on the interstate and a helicopter was following the man, who they estimated was going 80 mph.

Steele said he was traveling 62 mph heading toward Las Vegas with his wife, Tina, when he saw the car heading toward him.

The car glanced off a pickup truck and then slid into the tractor-trailer. Two people in the pickup were slightly hurt, but Steele and his wife were not injured.

"I just tried to stop the truck," Steele said. "That's what they pay me for."

Miner said the incident did not sour Gilmore's opinion of Nevada or ruin his trip to Las Vegas.

"Nevada is a beautiful state, and everyone was so helpful after the incident," he said. "The governor is looking forward to speaking tonight, visiting with business leaders at CES and, during his down time, touring the town."

Gilmore will leave Las Vegas on Saturday and return to Richmond to prepare his State of the Commonwealth address next Wednesday, Miner said.

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