YORK — A York County man was arrested Wednesday after authorities said he fired about 100 rounds at a James City County police car.
The shooting occurred just after noon, after James City officers and York-Poquoson deputies had gone to a York County residence to investigate reports of someone shooting at an occupied vehicle near Toano.
James City Police Chief Mark Jamison and York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery detailed the incident at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
When officers arrived in the 300 block of Mark’s Pond Way, shots rang out from the upper floor of one of the houses. Bullets struck a James City County police car, with fragments hitting the officer who got out of his cruiser and laid down on the ground, Montgomery said.
No one else was injured, and the officer was treated and released from a local hospital.
During the approximately five minutes that the shooting lasted, bullets also hit a nearby occupied house, Montgomery and Jamison said. Officers and deputies could not see where the shots were coming from and did not return fire.
“Our officers today responded with bravery, courage and unbelievable resolve to be able to survive this incident,” Jamison said.
Once the shooting stopped, a man, later identified as 35-year-old Andrew Francis Susalis, surrendered. Authorities recovered a high-powered rifle, Jamison and Montgomery said. A family member who was in the house is cooperating with authorities.
Susalis was charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of using of a firearm in the commission of a felony, two counts of reckless handling of a firearm, destruction of property and shooting into an occupied dwelling.
In the earlier shooting, a car driving near the Anderson’s Corner area of James City County at about 11:45 a.m. was struck two to four times by bullets fired by someone in a light blue sedan.
Jamison and Montgomery characterized it as a road-rage incident but gave no further details. The occupant of the vehicle wasn’t injured.
Emma Henry, emma.henry@virginiamedia.com
