It happened Friday afternoon in Wilson's Mills.
The driver of that Tesla was asleep with the autopilot function turned on.
"He surely was asleep and we pulled him over and that's not normal," said Daniel Wright, one of the main investigators on the case.
He said it wasn't as simple as pulling over 25-year-old Michael Goodman of Lenoir County.
"When we got behind him with our lights and sirens activated, it didn't faze him, he didn't wake up," Wright said.
He said one of his colleagues drives a Tesla so knew what to do.
"He knew if he got in front of them, it would activate a sensor on the autopilot and that would wake him up," Wright said.
Investigators found vape pens, some of which were laced with methamphetamine and others with MDMA.
Goodman eventually woke up, confused, and was ultimately taken to jail.
Court documents show the charges he faces: Four felonies including trafficking meth and MDMA.
Another page lists charges such as reckless driving.
"He drove about a mile before we could get him to stop," said Chief A.Z. Williams. "You get drunk drivers, that's pretty regular. Never quite seen this before."
He said he's grateful his officers caught up to the Tesla before it got farther into Raleigh during rush hour.
"Don't come through Wilson's Mills on 70 with a lot of drugs," Wright said. "We will find you."