Henrico manhunt ends after suspect tries hopping fences | News

HENRICO, VA (WWBT)- It was a search that took to the air, the ground, over fences, and into backyards. Now, the U.S. Marshal's Service says they finally have their man.

Xavier Jerome Williams, 23, was taken into custody around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, following an intense manhunt that happened around the 9100 block of Hungary Road in Henrico's west end.

Authorities say the search for Williams began Tuesday night and continued after he avoided arrest. The manhunt escalated Wednesday, authorities say, after Williams twice more avoided police officers who attempted to serve him with a warrant. Eventually, more than a dozen law enforcement officers cornered him in a residential neighborhood along West End Drive.

Treasa Minozzi walked us to the spot of the takedown; a wild scene that had ended right there in the backyard of a neighbor.

"Went up that way, and they got him right where that round thing is," Minozzi said, pointing to the spot.

There was a young man on the run, she said, and clearly, he was outnumbered.

"I tell you what, it was so many guys down on him I couldn't tell really what he looked like.  He had about, probably 4 or 5 guys there were holding him, tying him up, going through his bags and stuff like that," Minozzi said.

To understand what happened here, we go back earlier in the day. Local authorities spent the morning and afternoon swarming several west end addresses in search of Xavier J. Williams, who was wanted on assault and drug charges in the Tri-Cities area.

One of those stops took place right in front of Ana Cordic's house, where she followed the breaking news on her phone.

"It makes you nervous. But it's more surprising than anything because you never see this going on in the west end," Cordic said.

Eventually, the Marshal's Service took the slippery suspect into custody, having missed their chance at him three times dating back to Tuesday night. A peaceful conclusion to a manhunt that made neighbors worry...at least for a little while.

"Well, a little bit, because I wasn't sure what was going on. And then I saw all these guys with all these guns. Never know what's going on with six guys and six guns," Minozzi said.

Williams was processed by the U.S. Marshal's Service in Petersburg for two counts of distribution of marijuana, felony premises deemed nuisance, felony eluding police, and felony malicious wounding.

He was also processed for felony conspiracy, six felony drug charges and four felony drug indictments.

He is being held on no bond status at the Petersburg City Jail Complex.

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