CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston police officers are searching for a man following fleeing from a traffic stop Friday morning and hitting a pedestrian.
The Charleston Police Department (CPD) said officers encountered Che Dushon Lark during a stop before 7 a.m. Police Chief Tyke Hunt said during the stop, Lark fled nearly striking an officer.
“In that driver’s lap, the officers observed a felony amount of suspected drugs. The officers acted quickly and were able to seize the drugs. When they began to affect the arrest, the suspect put the vehicle in drive and drove away,” Hunt said Friday morning.
A female adult, identified as Heather Ross, was then struck near Park Drive and Grant Street on the West Side during the pursuit. According to CPD, that’s when the suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.
“When he hit Miss Ross, he fled on foot. He abandoned the vehicle in the area of Delaware Avenue close to Simms Street in an alleyway,” Hunt said.
Ross is in critical condition at a local hospital, CPD said. She was walking her children to school during the incident and her children are not hurt.
Because of the pursuit, two Kanawha County Schools, Stonewall Jackson Middle School and Mary C. Snow Elementary School were on lockdown for around 30 minutes.
Hunt said this was not Lark’s first go-around with law enforcement.
“In 2016, he had a similar encounter,” he said. “The Charleston police officers attempted to stop him and he fled from the scene and also crashed. During that time he was found to be in possession of a loaded firearm and was gound to be a fugitive from justice in Tennessee.”
He asked anyone with information on Lark’s whereabouts or who spot Lark to call 911 directly. He does not believe that Lark’s motive is to hurt anyone else but to only flee.
Lark is begin charged with felony possession of drugs and a felony charge of fleeing with reckless indifference.