A 33-year-old fugitive from Baltimore led Berkeley County officers on a high-speed chase through a residential Martinsburg neighborhood, throwing a handgun and a bag of drugs from his Jeep before colliding with a group of trees and attempting to scale a fence to escape. Floyd Davon Craig was apprehended by Martinsburg Police Department officers as he attempted to scale a fence behind the Apple Harvest Sheetz, capping up a chase that began when he blasted through multiple stop signs, crossed into oncoming traffic, and cut across a residential yard near the railroad tracks.
According to West Virginia MetroNews, the chase began when a deputy observed Craig’s vehicle driving westbound on Apple Harvest Drive and attempted a traffic check. Craig originally halted, but then ran on foot toward Apple Harvest Drive as the deputy exited her police car, according to the sheriff’s office. He then got back into a black Jeep Patriot, drove into oncoming traffic on Winchester Avenue, and sped through the residential neighborhood with three passengers still inside.
According to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the pursuit began within Martinsburg city limits before Craig lost control of his Jeep and slammed into a cluster of trees on Shenandoah Street. As deputies closed in, Craig flung a Glock pistol and a transparent bag containing capsules from the vehicle before leaving. A member of the United States Marshals Service later discovered the Glock in a fanny pack, and detectives discovered narcotics paraphernalia inside the abandoned Jeep.
Craig was already sought on Maryland violent felony warrants for first-degree assault, second-degree assault, criminal in possession of a firearm, and using a handgun to commit a felony, according to the Panhandle News Network. As the case progressed, investigators obtained search warrants for a hotel room at a local motel and a Bernice Avenue home. Police discovered ammunition, cash, digital scales, and drug paraphernalia at Craig’s motel, known as the Red Roof Inn off Viking Way, according to the same site. A pistol was also found in the Bernice Avenue residence.
According to a Crime Report And News in Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia post, the operation drew in a wide swath of law enforcement beyond the initial Berkeley County deputies and Martinsburg police, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including the recovery of the discarded firearm. According to the same account, Berkeley County Deputy Jessica Baldridge conducted the original traffic stop attempt on Apple Harvest Drive, while Sergeant Austin Ennis led the car pursuit after Craig escaped into oncoming traffic.
Craig faces charges such as fugitive from justice, prohibited person with a firearm, malicious assault, wanton endangerment, fleeing police, and drug possession, according to a sheriff’s office account obtained by West Virginia MetroNews. According to the Panhandle News Network, Craig was charged with felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful assault, wanton endangerment, fleeing, and possession with intent to distribute narcotics and ordered held on a $35,000 secure bond. He remains in the Eastern Regional Jail.
According to West Virginia Code § 61-5-17(e), intentionally fleeing from a law enforcement officer after a clear signal to stop is a criminal offense punishable by fines up to $1,000 and jail time, with heightened felony penalties if the fleeing endangers officers or the public. Separately, under West Virginia Code § 61-7-7, anyone previously convicted of a felony who knowingly obtains a firearm commits a felony and faces obligatory imprisonment. According to the research surrounding the case, it is unclear whether Berkeley County prosecutors will pursue trials on local drug and weapons charges before Craig is extradited to Maryland, as West Virginia judicial precedent generally allows prosecuting authorities to resolve local charges before releasing a fugitive to a demanding state.
According to the West Virginia MetroNews story, the three passengers in Craig’s Jeep during the chase were examined by officers and released without being charged, indicating that investigators did not consider them co-conspirators in the fleeing or narcotics violations. Deputies said they are still investigating the case, and it is unclear whether the seized firearms and narcotics will be linked to a larger trafficking enterprise. The chase follows a number of violent cross-border incidents between Martinsburg and Maryland in recent months, including a June carjacking at a Shepherdstown Road gas station that resulted in a pursuit toward Baltimore, as previously reported by Hoodline.
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