Two men were arrested after a pursuit that began on Interstate 95 in Halifax County, North Carolina, at about 1 a.m. on Monday, October 26, reached speeds over 100 mph and ended in Gaston after a state trooper forced their vehicle to a stop, according to the Halifax County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, whose statements were reported by RRSpin. Both men were taken into custody after a brief foot chase, Major Anzell Harris of the sheriff's office said.

Source: RRSpin, reporting Halifax County Sheriff's Office and NC State Highway Patrol statements

Harris said Corporal R. Lafayette tried to stop a vehicle on I-95 South for a violation near exit 168. The driver pulled into a gas station off the exit and slowed as if to stop, then rapidly accelerated west on Highway 903, and the chase began.

Source: RRSpin

Driver allegedly aimed at a sergeant

Shortly after the chase began, Sergeant A. Wood was heading to assist when the fleeing vehicle changed direction toward him, veered into his lane and, according to Harris, the driver attempted to hit him head-on. Wood shifted in the roadway and made an evasive move just before impact; the vehicle struck his patrol car's push bumper instead. His vehicle stayed operable and he rejoined the pursuit, Harris said.

Deputies deployed stop sticks on Highway 48 near Heritage Lane, but the vehicle continued through Roanoke Rapids and into Gaston, then turned onto Highway 46 West. The pursuit ended on Dr. Hall Road after Trooper D.J. Brake executed a maneuver that forced the suspects out of the vehicle, First Sergeant Levern Bynum of the Highway Patrol said. 'All the officers involved did an excellent job to put an end to a situation that put the lives of officers and the community at stake,' Bynum said.

Charges filed by two agencies

Harris identified Johnathan Nelson, 42, of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, as the driver and Jason Nelson, 42, of Greene, Maine, as the passenger. The sheriff's office said a search of Johnathan Nelson found crack cocaine inside a crossbody bag. The sheriff's office charged him with felony flee to elude arrest, assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, resisting a public officer, reckless driving, driving while license revoked and failure to stop at a stop signal. Trooper Brake separately cited him for hit-and-run, no operator's license, reckless driving with wanton disregard, driving left of center, failure to wear a seat belt and exceeding the posted speed limit. He remains in the Halifax County Detention Center under a $75,000 secured bond.

The sheriff's office charged Jason Nelson with resisting a public officer, and Brake charged him with failure to give information, allowing an unlicensed person to operate a motor vehicle and failure to wear a seat belt. He remains in custody under a $2,000 secured bond. Lieutenant E. Richardson, the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, Halifax County Emergency Communications and the Northampton County Sheriff's Office assisted. The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.