Racing suspect claims innocence

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Following an accident causing life-threatening injuries to one man, two suspects have been arrested for racing in Virginia Beach.

According to Grazia Moyers with the Virginia Beach Police Department, police received reports of an auto accident at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9 in the 700 block of Lynnhaven Parkway. Responders on scene found two occupants of one of the vehicles had been ejected.

Two vehicles, one driven by 19-year-old Joseph Boyd Fisher, III and another by a juvenile, were racing northbound on Lynnhaven Parkway. The juvenile was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Camaro and Fisher was driving a 2006 Nissan Sentra.

"Maybe two lights prior is when it initially started," Fisher said.  "Me and him both accelerated, because it's green. He accelerated further in front of me and I think at the time I was in the far right lane. He then cuts me off for what ever reason, I got pissed off."

Moyers says although the suspects were obeying traffic signals, they drove through green lights at high rates of speed. When the cars passed the intersection of Lynnhaven Parkway and Lishelle Place, the juvenile lost control of the Camaro, hit a tree, rotated 180 degrees and struck a second tree. At this point, the Camaro rotated back into the roadway and struck the Nissan driven by Fisher on the driver's side. The Nissan then moved across two lanes and struck a tree as well.

"[I'm] lucky to be here," Fisher said. "It's been hard to sleep since the accident."

Two juvenile passengers in the Camaro were not wearing seat belts and both were ejected from the car. 

The two suspected drivers did not receive injuries, one passenger was hospitalized and released and a second passenger received serious massive injuries and remains in critical condition.

"The one thing I want to make sure I say is that I'm lucky I'm not in his shoes right now," Fisher said. "I'm glad I was wearing my seat belt and my passenger was lucky he was wearing his seat belt."

Fisher has been charged with one count of misdemeanor racing. He was arrested Sept. 14 and told WAVY.com he was not racing and that he did not know the driver or passengers in the other car.

Fisher has a court date Oct. 14.

Beach police say charging someone with racing, which is rare, carries more weight than charging them with reckless driving. Under Virginia law, anyone charged with racing automatically has their license suspended up to two years. With a reckless driving charge, licenses are suspended on a case-by-case basis.

The 17-year-old juvenile driver, also of Virginia Beach, has been charged with one count of felony racing and driving on a provisional license. He was arrested Sept. 17.