Hit and run, stolen car feature in Loudoun chases, police say

A police chase that started in Clarke County ended in Loudoun on Thursday afternoon with a Gainesville man accused of felony hit and run, among other charges.

Michael J. Star, 51, is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Authorities caught him at around 3:30 p.m. after he lost control of his car on Route 7 near the Dulles Greenway interchange, according to a press release from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

Star fled from Clarke police after a traffic stop, authorities said, hitting another vehicle. After the car ran over "stop sticks" set in its path, Star allegedly continued to drive for a short time on three flat tires before losing control.

No serious injuries were reported during the incident, authorities said.

He was charged in Loudoun with speeding to elude and felony hit and run, according to police; in Clarke, he was charged with speeding to elude and possession of stolen license plates.

It wasn't the only police chase to end in Loudoun this week. After a county sheriff's deputy started a traffic stop on a vehicle shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, police said, the driver kept going. The driver and a passenger tried to flee on foot in the area of Hunt Chase Court and Pleasant Valley Road police said; the vehicle was determined to have been stolen.

The passenger, identified by police as Chuavet U. Nnawuba, 18, of South Riding, was caught and charged with obstruction of justice and grand larceny. The driver is still on the loose, police said.

-- David P. Marino-Nachison