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Maryland Man Steals Taxi From Richmond Airport Going 120 MPH On Chase In Pennsylvania: Police

A 23-year-old Maryland man has been arrested for stealing a taxi from an airport in Richmond, Virginia, and leading police on a high-speed chase in Pennsylvania, on Dec. 18, authorities say. 

Yacob Alemu.

Yacob Alemu.

Photo Credit: LinkedIn/Yacob Alemu

The Pennsylvania state police attempted a traffic stop at 12:37 a.m. when Yacob Abera Alemu was clocked going 99 mph in a 65 mph zone. As Alemu fled onto US 15 northbound he accelerated even more as he passed vehicles at "speeds exceeding 120 mph," state police said in a release the following Thursday.

The 2017 Toyota Sienna taxi van continued at a high speed for 16 miles as multiple Pennsylvania state troopers joined the chase until he suddenly stopped on a shoulder for an unknown reason and allowed police to arrest him near Gettysburg. 

Alemu of Silver Spring has been held in the Adams County Prison after failing to post $20,000 in bail, court records show. 

He has been charged with multiple felonies for receiving stolen property and fleeing law enforcement, according to his court docket.

His preliminary hearing has been set before Magisterial District Judge Mark D. Beauchat on Dec. 28 at 11 a.m., as detailed in his docket. 

Why Alemu drove to Virginia and took the taxi to Pennsylvania only to suddenly allow himself to be arrested remains unclear. He has no know criminal record in any of the states connected to this case. 

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