Chapel Hill residents on alert after shots fired at NC trooper hit cars amid 113 mph chase on I-40
The early Saturday morning chase involving a stolen car came to a crashing end at the Timber Hollow Apartments on Timber Hollow Court near Mendel Drive.
'I looked outside. I saw two officers with lights on pull up at the side of our building. So that made me worry a little bit more about what was going on,' resident Laila Valentine said. 'I checked it a little bit later. There was more officers that came. They had the K-9 dogs sniffing around and flashlights.'
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the suspects also shot and hit several parked cars at the complex and crashed into others around 3 a.m. Saturday.
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'They came through and we heard gunshots that woke us up in my apartment,' resident Avery Williams said. 'I was pretty worried. I had like a I pretty like confident and the state trooper because he was like right behind the suspects. '
The chase started just after 2:30 a.m. when a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol tried to stop a driver traveling 113 mph in a 65-mph zone on I-40 west near the 266-mile marker in Orange County, officials said.
The driver failed to stop and during the chase, the trooper confirmed the fleeing driver was in a stolen car.
Trio wanted after shooting at trooper during 113 mph Orange County I-40 chase with crash in Chapel Hill, officials say
As the suspect vehicle entered the town of Chapel Hill, the occupants began firing at the trooper and hit several parked cars in an apartment complex on Timber Hollow Court near Mendel Drive.
There were no reports of anyone injured.
The three suspects then crashed the stolen car dead end of Mendel Drive. The ski-masked-wearing suspects jumped out of the wrecked car and took off running through nearby woods.
Neighbors woke up to the gunfire along with flashing police lights and sirens.
'A car was getting chased by a state trooper, then they came through and we heard gunshots that woke us up in my apartment,' Williams added. 'And this is our neighbor's car. It was shot here. But you can see the bullet hole. But on another car, two windows were broken. You can see the glass on the ground.'
Timber Hollow residents told CBS 17 that their apartment management notified them to be on alert as the search goes on for the three armed and dangerous suspects.
Officers said anyone with information about the shooting and chase should contact 911 or the Chapel Hill Police Department at 919-968-2760. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crimestoppers at 919-942-7515.
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