State trooper wrecks cruiser during chase; suspect still on the run

HOPE MILLS, N.C. (WTVD) -- A North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper wrecked during an early morning chase Monday.

It happened at the I-95 Business/US 301 exit ramp to Highway 59 in Hope Mills, according to the NCSHP.

The chase started just before 4:40 a.m. when a trooper pulled over a vehicle for speeding in the northbound lanes of I-95 in Robeson County.

A spokesperson for the NCSHP said as the trooper made the initial approach, the driver fled, leading troopers on a chase into Cumberland County.

Video from ABC11's breaking news crew showed skid marks on the Highway 59 exit ramp and a wrecked cruiser with airbags deployed and front-end damage.

EMS was on the scene, but NCSHP has not confirmed whether the trooper was injured.

A second trooper who continued chasing the suspect vehicle south on US 301 performed a Precision Immobilization Technique, or P.I.T. maneuver to stop the suspect car.

That's when NCSHP said the driver and their passenger got out and ran.

Authorities took the passenger into custody a short time later, but the driver got away.

NCSHP has not released the names of the suspect and their passenger or what charges they may be facing.