GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A car stolen out of Bessemer City ended up being involved in a police chase 15 miles away. Channel 9′s Ken Lemon learned the person accused of leading officers on the chase was a teenager.
It started when a Bessemer City officer saw the stolen car Thursday evening on Oats Road and starting following it. That led to the wild chase. It all ended in a tense situation right next to the ramp that leads to McAdenville.
A Channel 9 viewer shared video that shows officers with their guns drawn advancing towards the car.
Lemon learned a 17-year-old was at the wheel, and troopers believe he was impaired. They joined the pursuit and performed a PIT maneuver, bumping the car to spin it out of control. Officers then approached the car from different directions with guns drawn.
Lemon was able to obtain audio of the chase from two-way police radio traffic.
“Watch your crossfire. Watch your crossfire,” they said.
No one fired.
“They got guns out.”
— Ken (@kenlemonWSOC9) May 12, 2023
A @wsoctv viewer shared video of the arrest of a 17 yo that @NCSHP said led officers on a chase in a stolen car. It was stopped near McAdenville. They suspect the teen was impaired and serving through traffic. A trooper used a pit maneuver to stop the car. pic.twitter.com/UqldJtgDHd
Troopers said the teen, who’s from Bessemer City, was driving dangerously down Interstate 85 while speeding and swerving between lanes. They felt they had to do something to stop him.
“The far left lane, east. Bobbing and weaving through lanes,” you can hear officers say.
Eventually, when Bessemer City officers handed off the pursuit to highway patrol, you can hear their communication.
“The troopers are coming up behind him,” someone says.
The highway patrol and county officers continued to follow, but they were worried about other drivers, many of whom were still headed home from work. The speed limit in the area is 60 miles per hour.
“Coming up the Cox Road exit. Speed is about 100,″ you can hear in the radio traffic.
Investigators told Lemon that someone at the 17-year-old’s home nearby was the one to report the neighbor’s car was stolen.
The teen racked up a long list of charges, including driving with no license, aggressive driving, speeding to elude arrest and driving while intoxicated.
He is waiting to see a judge.
(WATCH BELOW: No bull: Cows help Boone Police find suspect after chase)
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