BRISTOL, TN — An 18-year-old South Carolina man is facing a long list of charges after Bristol police said a theft investigation turned into a cross-border chase, a collision with parked cars and a foot pursuit that ended in the woods.
Authorities identified the suspect as Peyton Jack Finch of Gaffney, South Carolina. Bristol, Virginia police said the case began when a 2017 Jaguar XE was reported stolen from the 400 block of Carter Street on Thursday. Investigators later linked Finch to the case and said he was driving a red Ford Focus tied to the investigation when a detective tried to stop him.
Police said Finch accelerated toward the detective, forcing the officer out of the way before fleeing. The incident led to charges in Virginia and Tennessee, along with a fugitive-from-justice hold as officials work to return him to Virginia.
Police say the chase started with a stolen Jaguar in Bristol, Virginia
According to Bristol, Virginia police, the investigation began after someone reported a 2017 Jaguar XE stolen from the 400 block of Carter Street. Detectives later identified Finch as a suspect in that theft.
The department said a detective then encountered Finch while he was driving a red Ford Focus believed to be connected to the case. When the detective identified himself and told the driver to stop, police said Finch sped toward him. The detective had to move out of the way as the car continued on, escalating what had started as a stolen-vehicle investigation into a more serious confrontation.
Virginia authorities have said Finch is charged there with attempted aggravated murder of a law enforcement officer and grand larceny of a motor vehicle.
Vehicle hit parked cars before officers found it abandoned on Williams Street
As the suspect fled, Bristol, Tennessee police joined the effort to locate the vehicle. Officers said the car struck two parked vehicles in the 900 block of West State Street before leaving the scene.
Police later found the car abandoned in the 800 block of Williams Street in Bristol, Tennessee. At that point, both Bristol departments were involved in the search for the driver.
Officials said the vehicle’s location helped narrow the focus of the search, but Finch had already left the car behind. The abandoned vehicle became the center of a continuing ground search on the Tennessee side of the state line.
Drone search led officers to Finch hiding in brush after a short foot chase
Bristol, Tennessee police said a drone was used to help spot the suspect running into the woods after the car was found. That aerial search helped officers track the area more quickly.
A short time later, police found Finch hiding in brush. Officers said he tried to leave again, but they took him into custody after the brief foot chase.
The arrest ended the immediate search, but it did not end the case. Police from both cities were still working through the sequence of events that began with the stolen Jaguar and moved into a dangerous pursuit across state lines.
Finch faces Tennessee charges tied to the crash and escape attempt
In Tennessee, Finch is charged with leaving the scene of an accident, evading arrest, reckless driving and driving on a suspended or revoked license. Those counts stem from the chase and the reported collision with parked vehicles in Bristol.
Police also said he is being held as a fugitive from justice while extradition to Virginia is pending. That status reflects the separate charges and investigation in the neighboring state.
Authorities said the Tennessee case is only part of the legal response. The Virginia charges remain the most serious, including the attempted aggravated murder count connected to the detective encounter.
Bristol police say more charges remain possible as the case continues
Police said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges are possible. A separate statement is expected to outline Finch’s Virginia charges in more detail.
The case has drawn together agencies from both sides of the Bristol state line, with officers in Virginia and Tennessee working from the theft report through the search and arrest. The sequence included a suspected stolen car, a failed stop, property damage, a woods search and an eventual arrest in brush.
For now, Finch remains in custody as authorities continue sorting out the charges in both states and the process of extradition. Police have not indicated whether anyone was hurt in the encounter, but they have described the detective’s close call as the basis for the attempted murder allegation.
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