Man arrested after wielding stolen chainsaw in attempted carjacking and multiple break-ins: police

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. - Officials in Stafford County apprehended a man suspected of an attempted carjacking with a chainsaw and a hammer early Monday morning. 

On March 4, Stafford County deputies responded to Musselman Road for a disturbance with a weapon. The caller told police she was parked in a driveway when a stranger approached her with a chainsaw in one hand and a hammer in the other. 

The suspect allegedly grabbed the car door handle – but the woman drove away from the suspect. 

Once deputies arrived on the scene, another resident flagged them down. The second resident said he woke up to a noise at 6:30 a.m., and found the same carjacking suspect in his home. The suspect fled from the residence. 

Other residents called with reports of the suspect ringing multiple doorbells in the area, and a second resident reported the suspect had entered his home with a handgun. 

K-9 began to track the suspect, finding various pieces of the suspect's clothing, the chainsaw and a handgun. Officials say a drone watched from the air as neighbors continued to report sightings of the suspect. 

Devin Laws, 26, of Blackwater, Virginia, was apprehended after three hours. Officials say brass knuckles were found in his pocket. 

Laws claimed he was in the area to do landscaping work, according to the Sheriff's Office.  

Laws is now in the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond on charges of breaking and entering, attempted carjacking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a concealed weapon after a felony conviction, petit larceny, and vandalism. The stolen chainsaw was returned to the rightful owner.