A Norfolk police officer suffered minor injuries overnight Wednesday into Thursday after a man robbed at gunpoint while pumping gas had his car stolen, setting off a pursuit that ended in a crash near Ocean View. The driver fled, and the investigation remains active.
According to WAVY.com, the victim was robbed at gunpoint while pumping gas in the 300 block of East Little Creek Road, with the suspect making off with his wallet, cellphone, keys and vehicle. Police said there were no reported injuries during the robbery itself. The man reported his car stolen to police shortly after the incident.
The timeline laid out by WVEC places the robbery at approximately 11 p.m. Wednesday, with the victim reporting the stolen vehicle shortly after midnight. Officers spotted the car around 2:30 a.m. Thursday and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to pull over and fled instead, according to the station's report.
Chase Ends in Crash Near Ocean View
The pursuit carried the stolen vehicle away from the East Little Creek Road corridor and into Norfolk's Ocean View neighborhood, where the driver struck a police vehicle near Tidewater Drive and West Ocean View Avenue. Per the same account, officers terminated the pursuit after the collision, and the officer involved suffered minor injuries. The stolen vehicle was later recovered unoccupied near 1st View Street and West Government Avenue.
The crash follows another fatal pursuit-related incident in Norfolk. In August, two occupants were killed on Granby Street when a stolen car involved in a police chase struck a tree and caught fire shortly after officers had already terminated that pursuit, as reported by WVEC. That case stands as a reminder of how quickly a chase through Norfolk's streets can turn fatal, even after officers break off pursuit.
A Corridor With a History of Dangerous Encounters
East Little Creek Road has seen other tense police encounters this year. In May, a Norfolk officer shot and killed a suspect in the 1800 block of East Little Creek Road after the suspect allegedly dragged the officer with a car during a traffic stop, according to WAVY's coverage shared on Instagram
. And in August, a Norfolk cruiser running with emergency lights and sirens was struck in a three-vehicle collision in the 200 block of East Little Creek Road, injuring an officer and a civilian, per a separate 13News Now post on
.
The 300 block of East Little Creek Road, where Wednesday night's robbery took place, falls under the jurisdiction of the Norfolk Police Department's Second Precinct, headquartered at 901 Asbury Avenue and responsible for patrolling East Little Creek Road, Wards Corner and Norview, Hoodline previously reported. That same corridor was the scene of a fatal overnight shooting earlier this month, part of a year that Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot has described as markedly more violent than the last. Talbot told a city council briefing in August that Norfolk had logged 28 homicide incidents with 29 victims through August 25, a 65 percent jump over the 17 incidents recorded during the same stretch of 2025.
Possible Charges If Suspect Is Caught
Should investigators identify and arrest the person responsible, Virginia Code § 18.2-58 provides that robbery is punishable by life imprisonment or a term of at least five years.
No arrests have been announced, and police have not released a suspect description. The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the area's tip line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, or submit tips through the P3 Tips app or at P3Tips.com.
