Salem Police, with the help of law enforcement officials from throughout the region, spent most of Wednesday searching for the individual who committed multiple crimes in a rash of incidents Wednesday morning in the city.
Here is a timeline of the chain of events:
- 7:27 a.m. - Salem Police received reports of a stolen car at the Riverland Mobile Home Park on W. Riverside Dr.
- 8:00 a.m. – It is believed the suspect drove the car to the Cave Spring area of Roanoke County and robbed a high school student before returning to Salem.
- 8:44 a.m. - Salem Police received a 911 call of an attempted robbery in a parking lot in the 1800 block of Braeburn Dr. The suspect attempted to steal a female’s purse.
- 8:58 a.m. - The suspect abandoned the stolen car in a retail parking lot in 1800 block of Electric Rd. and stole another vehicle. The newly stolen car also had a young child inside of it.
- Soon after exiting the lot, the child was abandoned and left alone just over a mile away on Intervale Drive.
- Minutes later, Salem Police engaged the suspect in a pursuit that culminated back in the vicinity of the mobile park where the original car was stolen. The suspect fled the vehicle along West Riverside Dr. and ran into a heavily wooded area on foot.
- 9:30 a.m. - All Salem City Schools were placed in “secure” mode as a cautionary measure.
- 10:24 a.m. - The abandoned child was found safe on Intervale Drive, reunited with his mother, and taken to LewisGale Medical Center where he was evaluated.
- 1:12 p.m. - All Salem City Schools except South Salem Elementary are taken off “secure” mode to allow for end of the day dismissal at their normal times. Additional police are placed at South Salem to assist in dismissal.
- All Salem schools were dismissed, and students were returned home without incident by 4 p.m.
Despite the unusual chain of events, no one was injured at any point during the day. The entire incident remains under investigation and anyone with information related to the suspect is asked to contact the Salem Police Department at 540-375-3078. A special thanks to fellow officers from Roanoke County, Roanoke City, and the Virginia State Police for their assistance in the search.