Man leads deputies on pursuit in stolen car

FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A driver fled from deputies in a stolen car, crashed, and presented a shiny object, leading deputies to fire multiple gunshots at the vehicle.

Fayette County Sheriff Shannon Morris says on September 3rd, 2024, around 10:30 PM, a Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputy on routine patrol observed a black Ford Ranger traveling southbound on US Route 19 that matched the description of a recently reported stolen vehicle. The deputy ran the registration, confirming the vehicle was stolen, and activated his emergency lights and siren in an attempt to stop the driver.

The driver then fled southbound through Fayetteville and into Oak Hill. Officers in Oak Hill deployed spike strips in an effort to disable the vehicle, but the driver continued to flee, eventually crashing into a guardrail on the exit ramp to Summerlee Road. When deputies approached the vehicle, they saw the driver lying on the floorboard. Despite commands to show his hands and exit the vehicle, the driver refused and began shouting that he had a gun and would kill the deputies.

After a brief standoff, the driver emerged from the floorboard and presented a shiny object from the passenger window in a threatening manner. The deputies then fired multiple rounds into the vehicle, but did not hit the suspect. The driver was then taken into custody without further incident.

The suspect was identified as 50-year-old Barton H. Bishop of Webster, Kentucky. Bishop was charged with the felony offenses of fleeing an officer with reckless indifference and receiving a stolen vehicle, as well as the misdemeanor offense of obstructing an officer. It was also discovered that Bishop was wanted as a fugitive from justice in the state of Kentucky. The Oak Hill Police Department and West Virginia State Police assisted in the investigation.