Sheriff: Man who pointed gun at deputy arrested after brief chase near I-95

SAINT PAULS, N.C. -- The massive police response on Interstate 95 in the middle of the night Saturday morning was to arrest a man who pointed a gun at deputies.

It all began at midnight during a traffic stop near the 36 mile marker on I-95 near St. Pauls.

During the traffic stop, a Robeson County deputy recognized a person in the car as being wanted on outstanding warrants. The deputy said they tried to take the man, later identified as Lloyd Locklear Jr., into custody, but the man resisted.

According to the deputy, the two fought until Locklear got his hands on a gun and pointed it at the deputy. That's when the deputy pulled his gun and opened fire.

Nobody was injured in the shooting.

The deputy said Locklear then took off running toward the woods off I-95. Deputies chased after him and caught him within minutes.

Locklear was taken to the Robeson County Detention Center after being checked out by a doctor for minor injuries he sustained while trying to run away. He was booked into jail on a $1.3 million bond.

Investigators identified Locklear as a convicted felon who was also out of jail on bond on charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery and more.

"When we have repeated criminal activity from a criminal who should be locked away from society with no respect for law enforcement or the laws of the state, this is what you get" Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said. "Only by the grace of God are the Detective and even the suspect in this case still with us today. We train for scenarios such as this but no officer wants to actually experience it as things could have really went astray."