High-speed chase involving SUV ends in Brier Creek crash

RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A high-speed chase involving a Lexus SUV ended in a crash in Brier Creek on Friday night in front of a Starbucks and two men in custody.

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Authorities checked out the vehicle, finding 2.5 grams of marijuana, before a towing company hauled it away within the hour.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office said the chase began about 8 p.m. when a deputy attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation on Capital Boulevard and Buffaloe Road. The driver refused to stop and the pursuit began.

Deputies had chased the vehicle at high speeds along 540. The driver merged onto US-70 and went up an embankment before coming to a stop.

The 2007 Lexus sustained damage on the passenger side and in the front. It crashed into a grassy area as the occupants sought a way to evade law officers.

The sheriff's office said a K-9 officer was deployed and chased down one suspect while deputies arrested a second.

Luis Emilio Morales, 28, of the 300 block of Redwood Road in Durham, and Agustin Damien, 41, of Haverhill, Mass., were taken into custody.

Charges are pending against the two.

Eyewitnesses having coffee at the Starbucks told ABC11 that men jumped out of the vehicle and tried to run but were taken into custody.

"I definitely would have never suspected this would happen here," said eyewitness Bryce Poole.