{Charleston, West Virginia}...West Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Baylous says 34 year old Craig Michael Keith, originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania, who in Charleston since October, was fatally shot following a police pursuit that ended on Interstate 77 Friday morning. Police say Keith, who appeared to be drunk, was causing a disturbance at Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro around 2:00 A.M., and, when he was asked to leave, he refused. When Nitro Police were called to the scene, Keith ran to his vehicle, and the pursuit began on Interstate 64 eastbound toward Charleston. Keith eluded authorities and found his way to Corridor G, U.S. Route 119, and drove south into Lincoln County. There, he doubled-back and managed to drive back through Charleston and onto I-77 north. State Police and other agencies managed to stop him by using spike strips near the Fairplain exit in Jackson County. Sgt. Baylous says Keith was driving aggressively, reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour, and trying to ram cruisers. Once Keith was stopped, he refused to obey police commands and was shot. Keith was pronounced dead at Jackson General Hospital in Ripley. Sgt. Baylous says Keith had a previous criminal record including 2008 charges in Blair County, Pennsylvania of resisting arrest, aggravated assault, and driving under the influence. Sgt. Baylous says Keith had told a friend he would do whatever necessary to keep from going back to jail, including going as far as pretending to have a weapon if encountered by police.
