EAST GOSHEN — A Chester County woman who led police from four departments on a car chase across multiple municipalities and who allegedly rammed her luxury car into a state police patrol cruiser after she was cornered faces a preliminary hearing on various criminal charges later this month.
The driver, identified as Vanessa Chinelo Ugochukwu, was taken into custody after failing to stop for police and after evading two police maneuvers meant to force motorists to stop fleeing by blocking them in, known as police intervention tactics, or PIT. When she was finally detained, she allegedly tried to grab a Taser from a Tredyffrin police officer.
Ugochukwu, 31, of East Whiteland, is charged with aggravated assault of a police officer, recklessly endangering another person, resisting arrest, and drunk driving. She is free on $50,000 bail ahead of a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Mackenzie Smith of East Goshen on April 22.
According to a criminal complaint and arrest affidavit by State Trooper Aaron Botts, the charges stem from an incident that began not far from Ugochukwu’s apartment at the Royal Worthington complex in East Whiteland. On patrol at around 11 p.m. on March 2, Sgt. Joseph Woulfe of the East Whiteland Township Police Department spotted a 2020 Mercedes Benz GLA 250 make a left-hand turn in front of him, running through a red light, nearly causing an accident.
Woulfe attempted to stop the Mercedes by turning on his lights and siren, but the car drove away through the Great Valley Corporate Center. In his affidavit, Botts said the chase lasted 17 minutes.
With Woulfe in pursuit, Ugochukwu drove through the corporate center and north toward Phoenixville Pike on Route 29, then south toward Great Valley High School, and eventually turned onto Route 30 in Frazer and headed towards Paoli. Along the way, he said, the car ran through three red lights and made several unsafe driving moves, including turning over a traffic divider. The driver also turned off all of her headlights and taillights to avoid detection, the complaint states.
Woulfe eventually ceased his pursuit near the Paoli Hospital complex on Route 30 in Tredyffrin, but police from that township and Easttown, as well as state police units, were able to locate the car in Paoli and pursue it south on Route 252. They tried the first PIT near an intersection with Evergreen Lane, unsuccessfully, and watched as the Mercedes drove onto the property of the Waynesboro Country Club, off-road, bottoming out as it traversed ditches and a small creek on the property.
A second PIT was attempted near the country club’s entrance, but the Mercedes spun out and turned back north toward Paoli. At the intersection of Leopard Road, the third PIT was successful at stopping the car. However, when Troopers Kasey Gehman and John Provence began to get out of their patrol car to detain the driver, she accelerated and rammed her car head on into the cruiser.
Patrol cars from Tredyffrin and Easttown, as well as state police, effectively boxed the Mercedes in, according to the complaint. When Ugochukwu was removed from the Mercedes, she allegedly tried to grab the Taser that an unnamed Tredyffrin had deployed against her.
She was taken to Paoli Hospital for treatment, and while on the way appeared confused and had mood swings. She refused to speak to police at the hospital, however.
She was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Paige Simmons on March 3 and held on bail. She was able to post bail on March 23 after being detained at Chester County Prison.
It is unclear who will represent Ugochukwu at the preliminary hearing.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
