A State Highway Patrol chase ended in a crash involving two cars in north Raleigh Monday morning, according to police. It was at least the sixth time in a month that WRAL News has reported on law enforcement chasing a suspect.
The highway patrol told WRAL that a trooper was attempting to pull over a car for a traffic violation on Wake Forest Road and US 401. The suspect didn’t stop and a chase began. 
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The North Carolina State Highway Patrol allows troopers to chase a suspect based on their perceived level of threat to the public. Officers also consider the time of day, traffic congestion, weather conditions and roadway type.
According to the NC Sheriffs’ Association, the decision to pursue a fleeing suspect is less about whether an agency can, and more about whether they should.
“To have a pursuit, you have to have a citizen who is refusing to stop and then trying to flee at a high rate of speed before the officer will even get engaged,” Eddie Caldwell, the executive VP and general counsel for the NC Sheriffs’ Association told WRAL News.
The latest data provided by the Highway Patrol shows troopers were involved in 1,193 chases in 2024, more than 1,200 in 2023 and 1,061 in 2022.
Larry Smith, a former police officer who served as interim chief of the Durham Police Department, said, “There are a lot of factors you have to weigh. It’s always easy to look at factors after there’s been a crash and someone has been hurt, and certainly you do not want that.”
WRAL has reported on at least six chases in the past month. Among them:
On Oct. 22, a man wanted in connection with a bank robbery led Wake deputies and State Highway Patrol on a pursuit from Knightdale west on U.S. 64 Business. 
On Oct. 31, troopers and local law enforcement chased a driver through Johnston County. That driver caused at least two crashes before being stopped in Dunn. 
On Nov. 17, teens led troopers on a chase that reached 120 mph in Wayne County. 
The officer or supervisors have the authority to halt a chase if it becomes too risky, highlighting the delicate balance between enforcing the law and ensuring public safety.
Smith, the former DPD interim chief, said, “That’s probably the most high adrenaline activity I was involved in as a law enforcement officer.”  
That adrenaline, he said, is why someone not involved in the pursuit can make a decision to stop chasing.
On Monday, the suspect’s car crashed into another vehicle near Falls Church Road around 2:15 a.m., leaving both drivers injured.  
The WRAL Breaking News Tracker captured video of ambulances leaving the scene with lights on. 
Two cars were badly damaged. One car was facing in the direction of traffic near North Bend Drive. It had significant damage to the passenger side. The airbags appeared to have deployed. The other car was facing the opposite direction of traffic near Falls Church Road. It had damage to the front bumper. Several pieces of debris were scattered on the road. 

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