VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man was arrested less than an hour after a fatal shooting on Dec. 30, thanks to a coordinated effort between Virginia Beach and Norfolk police and the use of license plate reader technology.
At 12:03 p.m., Virginia Beach Emergency Communications received multiple reports of a shooting at a business in the 5400 block of Virginia Beach Boulevard. Responding officers found Lequan Cherry, 26, of Norfolk, dead at the scene.
Police quickly identified and broadcast a description of the suspect and the vehicle involved. Using the Virginia Beach Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), investigators searched the license plate reader database to track locations where the suspect’s vehicle had been seen.
Norfolk police located the vehicle at one of these locations and attempted a traffic stop. The driver, identified as 22-year-old Jeremiah Quinones of Norfolk, fled but was apprehended after a brief pursuit into Virginia Beach.
Quinones was charged with first-degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. “This arrest underscores the vital role technology plays in modern policing,” said Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate.