A Norfolk man who drove a stolen car into a moving train during a high-speed chase with police pleaded guilty Thursday to charges related to the July incident.
Ragee Nyzear Smith, 21, pleaded guilty in Norfolk Circuit Court to felony eluding, hit and run resulting in damage to property and being in receipt of a stolen automobile.
Smith pleaded guilty to his charges pursuant to a plea agreement.
Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted the agreement and sentenced Smith to one and a half years in prison. An additional two and a half years in prison were suspended on the conditions that Smith complete two years of uniform good behavior following his release. Smith’s sentence was above the six-month high end of his advisory sentencing guidelines, and the plea agreement reflected the seriousness of the offense.
According to court documents, on July 16, just after midnight, the owner of a 2014 Kia Sorrento reported to Norfolk Police that a vehicle had been stolen about an hour earlier.
Officers entered the information into their stolen vehicle database, and the camera system spotted the car in the 3300 block of East Princess Anne Road around 3:20 a.m.
Officers soon found Smith driving the vehicle in the Wawa parking lot on East Princess Anne Road. When they turned on their emergency lights, Smith ignored the officers and drove westbound on East Princess Anne Road reaching speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour.
During this time, a train was crossing East Princess Anne Road near May Avenue. Seeing the train, Smith turned right onto Courtney Avenue, turned left onto Goff Street and was blocked at the train crossing again.
Smith jumped out of the driver’s seat with the car still moving and attempted to run away on foot. The car crashed into the train in the 1200 block of Goff Street. Officers caught Smith shortly afterward.
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Crystal Graham
