Creedmoor man charged after multi-county chase ends in Durham crash

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Some Durham residents were startled Monday after the driver of a stolen vehicle led law enforcement on a multi-county chase that ended with a crash.

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

The vehicle sped away when a trooper attempted a traffic stop and the chase continued into Wake County.

The pursuit continued back into Durham County, where deputies joined in. State troopers backed off as the chase neared downtown Durham.

Eyewitnesses said the driver was speeding when the stolen van crashed into a pickup and veered off the road, striking two utility poles at Angier Avenue and Bingham Street.

"He was like speeding past the house. Like the blink of an eye. Like he was going so fast," said nearby Durham resident Kayala Dill. "He's blessed to still be alive. He's blessed. He's very blessed."

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

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

Hester was charged with felony flee to elude arrest, felony possession of stolen vehicle, felony assault with a deadly weapon, fail to heed to blue lights/siren, aggressive driving to endanger, drive while license revoked, failure to wear seatbelt, unsafe passing, stop light violation, and stop sign violation.

"If you're endangering people's life, you don't know who's in the way of anything. You got to be mindful," said Durham resident Paul Tyson. "(Deputies) had to do what they had to do to get him safely. But I wish they would have prevented this."

Frontier Electric responded to assess and repair damaged poles and power lines. The Durham County Sheriff's Office has also filed additional charges on Hester, the NCSHP said.

The incident remains under investigation.

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