By Robert Jordan
Dunn Daily Record
PRINCETON – An attempt by law enforcement to stop a suspicious vehicle in Princeton began a chase which spanned three counties and came to a crashing halt in Wade late Monday night.
Troopers with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol say they tried to stop a BMW displaying a Florida registration on U.S. Highway 70 in Princeton. The vehicle failed to stop and led troopers in a westbound chase on U.S. 70 to Interstate 95 southbound then all the way to Wade in Cumberland County, a distance of nearly 50 miles. The entire pursuit was over in almost 20 minutes, according to the Highway Patrol.
The suspect vehicle collided with a trooper’s cruiser in Cumberland County. Troopers then used a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver to bring the pursuit to a halt near the 62 mile marker in the Interstate 95 southbound lanes.
Two men were removed from the vehicle and placed in handcuffs by troopers on the scene. An Emergency Medical Services unit was called for one of the men in the car.
The Troop C District 6 office in Smithfield was contacted, but reports were not available as of press time.
Nineteen-year-old Kevin Alberto Hernandez-Lemus of Wake County and 21-year-old Tyler William Avery are charged with fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, according to Johnston County Detention Center inmate records. Avery was also charged with assaulting a government employee with a deadly weapon. They were both in custody of the Detention Center on Tuesday.
