Burglary suspect drowns while fleeing police in Virginia Beach
By Duane Bourne, The Virginian-Pilot
© June 3, 2006
Last updated: 11:28 PM
VIRGINIA BEACH - A burglary suspect trying to elude police Friday morning jumped into a river, started swimming, then yelled for help and drowned.
Police identified the victim, who was pulled from the Eastern Branch of the Lynnhaven River, as Ronnie Goffigan, 17, of Virginia Beach.
A second suspect, also 17, was arrested at the scene and charged with burglary and conspiracy to commit a felony. Police did not identify him because of his age.
The string of events began at 5:19 a.m. when a police officer noticed two people inside the Midas Auto Service Experts at 2597 Virginia Beach Blvd., said police spokeswoman Margue Long.
A store manager, Michael Peters, said the suspects apparently had kicked out a metal panel to one of the garage bays, the one closest to Eureka Avenue. The repair shop is plainly visible from the boulevard.
The officer summoned backup. Officers confronted the suspects, both of whom ran away. About 13 minutes after the suspects were spotted, one was apprehended by a police dog unit, Long said.
Meanwhile, the second , Goffigan, darted across eight lanes of traffic on Virginia Beach Boulevard and cut through backyards and swaths of trees in the Chesopeian Colony neighborhood.
With dog units giving chase, Goffigan wrestled himself free from officers several times, Long said.
More than a mile into his escape, Goffigan jumped into the river behind a house in the 600 block of Chesopeian Point. There, the water is muddy brown and shallow.
As Goffigan swam toward the Heron's Cove condominiums in about 8 feet of water, he noticed police officers had cut off his path.
"He stopped, changed direction ... It was quick," Long said.
In the middle of the river, Goffigan screamed for help, awakening at least one resident. Rachel Bradshaw, 79, who lives in the condominium complex on Seashore Point, saw the teen in the river. Her back door is about 30 feet from the water.
Bradshaw said she turned and saw two police officers standing on the bank, barking orders for Goffigan to come back to shore.
"Then I looked back and the top of the guy's head disappeared," Bradshaw said. The teen did not resurface. Police believe that he might have been overwhelmed by the current.
Goffigan's body was recovered at 7:35 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reach Duane Bourne at (757) 222-5150 or at duane.bourne@pilotonline.com.
I'm thinking perhaps the time has come to revamp our laws regarding juveniles.
For relatively minor crimes that kids are likely to get into no matter how harsh the punishment, the current treatment of protecting their identity isn't a bad idea.
But for all crimes involving weapons, burglary, home invasion, etc. Premeditated crimes that are characterized by their violence, including distribution of illegal drugs, the perps should be treated and tried as adults. If the kid involved is younger than the age of 13, perhaps the parent should be tried for parental neglect, and child abuse...