A pursuit of a stolen van in Wake County ends in a crash in Durham

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Some Durham residents were shocked Monday after the driver of a stolen vehicle led police on a multi-county chase that ended in a crash.

According to the North Carolina Highway State Patrol, troopers began pursuing an allegedly stolen black Chrysler Pacifica for a seatbelt violation in Durham County just before 2:30 p.m.

The vehicle sped away as a trooper attempted to make a traffic stop, and the chase continued into Wake County.

The pursuit continued back into Durham County where officers joined. State troopers retreated as the chase approached downtown Durham.

Eyewitnesses said the driver was speeding when the stolen van collided with a pickup truck, veered off the road and struck two utility poles at Angier Avenue and Bingham Street.

“It was like he was speeding past the house. Like in the blink of an eye. Like he was going so fast,” said Kayala Dill, who lives near Durham. “He is blessed to be alive. He is blessed. He is very blessed.”

NCSHP said the driver was arrested and booked into the Durham County Jail. The driver of the pickup truck was taken to a hospital to be treated for what were reported to be non-life-threatening injuries.

The Highway Patrol identified the suspect as Michael Devon Hester, 27, of Creedmoor. His minor injuries were treated at the scene.

Hester was charged with one felony count: Fleeing to Elude Arrest, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Misdemeanor Use of a Deadly Weapon, Disregard for Blue Lights/Siren, Endangerment by Aggressive Driving, Driving with driving license revoked”, “failure to wear a seat belt”, “unsafe overtaking”, traffic light violation and stop sign violation.

“When you put people’s lives at risk, you don’t know who’s standing in the way. You have to be careful,” said Paul Tyson of Durham. “(Deputies) had to do what they had to do to get him to safety. But I wish they had prevented that.”

Frontier Electric responded to inspect and repair damaged poles and power lines. The Durham County Sheriff’s Office has also filed additional charges against Hester, according to NCSHP.

The incident remains under investigation.

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