A man was sentenced to 58 years in prison on Thursday afternoon in Virginia Beach for charges stemming from when he shot at a Virginia Beach police officer as he attempted to flee from a shoplifting incident at the Pembroke Mall.
Tyler Lynn Davis was found guilty by a jury in October of attempted aggravated murder of a law enforcement officer, grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny and use of a firearm.
On Oct. 20, 2023, the 26-year-old, along with three others, went to Kohl’s at the Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach with the intention of stealing merchandise, according to prosecutors.
Davis, along with Jaclyn Anderson and Hayley Fernandes, began to load hundreds of dollars’ worth of goods, including shoes, clothes and suitcases, into a shopping cart, according to a press release. Brandon Foster took a lap around the store before exiting to the parking lot, where he waited in a van.
A Kohl’s loss prevention officer, noticing the group’s behavior over surveillance video, called the police, the release said. Staff from the store covered each exit while the group attempted to leave with the stolen merchandise.
Davis exited to the parking lot through a fire escape door, according to prosecutors. As he ran to the van, a Virginia Beach police officer was pulling into the parking lot in a marked police vehicle with its lights on. As the officer left his vehicle, Davis shot at him three times.
While the officer was not injured, one bullet hit his vehicle, inches from where he stood, according to the release.
The officer pursued Davis across Virginia Beach Boulevard as he ran away, and arrested him outside a Town Center restaurant, the release said. Retracing his steps, officers found the gun Davis used on a median of the street.
Davis’ co-defendants in the attempted shoplifting – Anderson, Fernandes and Foster – have all been charged and convicted for their roles.
Nori Leybengrub, 757-349-3523, nori.leybengrub@virginiamedia.com
