Chase maims cruisers

A 12-minute pursuit by Waynesboro police circled repeatedly through the Tree Streets neighborhood and ended with a crash on Ivy Street late Monday night, leaving two cruisers immobilized, two cruisers damaged, two officers with minor injuries and a Waynesboro man in jail.

Police chased Ian Kasdan, 26, after a routine traffic stop raised suspicions about the man’s identity, said Sgt. Brian Edwards. Kasdan is wanted in Harrisonburg for a probation violation for convictions of burglary, robbery and felony use of a firearm.

“[Kasdan] was trying to keep his identity secret,” Edwards said of the traffic stop. “A scuffle ensued, where the driver produced a tire iron from his vehicle.”

Kasdan rammed the police cruiser and drove off. Five Waynesboro cruisers and one Augusta County Sheriff’s Office cruiser pursued the man in his blue Toyota Camry station wagon.

“Our initial concern was for the other citizens,” Edwards said, explaining that the chase changed directions often, sometimes overlapping previous routes in residential areas.

A civilian car was struck on Anthony Circle, where the chase wound through the streets of Ivy Ridge and Mountain View apartments before continuing near Kate Collins Middle School. Police pinned Kasdan’s car on Ivy Street and used a stun gun to subdue the man, Edwards said. Contraband items were found in the car.

Apartment residents flocked to Ivy Street to witness the end of the chase. Some said they saw a passenger exit the vehicle and reported hearing what sounded like gunshots.

Police said Kasdan was alone in the vehicle and that preliminary investigation does not indicate shots fired.