A man is in custody after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase this morning in Alexander County. Before the pursuit was over, the suspect is said to have stolen a patrol car and rammed it into another.
Around 2:30 am, a speeding Ford Explorer was spotted in Taylorsville. Officers attempted to stop the car as it increased speed and ran a red light on US-64/90. Alexander County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Taylorsville Police activated blue lights and sirens as the suspect approached speeds of 100 miles per hour traveling west.
The chase continued onto NC Highway 127. Officers deployed stop-sticks as the suspect turned onto Antioch Church Road in the Ellendale Community of Western Alexander County. The suspect stopped near the Antioch Church. The suspect left his vehicle and aggressively approached the deputy leading to the use of a taser. The suspect was wearing a heavy trench-style coat that absorbed the shock from the taser.
According to Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman the suspect jumped into another patrol car and rammed another which was occupied by an officer. The suspect tried to leave the scene as a deputy fired multiple shots at the car. The patrol vehicle was struck multiple times but the suspect was not wounded. One deputy sustained a cut when his cruiser was struck. He was treated and released from a Hickory hospital.
After ramming the patrol cruiser the suspect fled on foot into a graveyard where he was chased down by officers and taken into custody.
35-year old Tony Timothy Martin of Taylorsville is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to inflict serious injury, assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, larceny of a motor vehcile, vandalism with damage to personal property, flee to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, reckless driving to endanger, failure to stop at stop sign, and multiple counts of resisting arrest. Martin is being held in the Alexander County Detention Center with a secured bond of $500,000.Sheriff Chris Bowman said “I’m so thankful that there were no real serious injuries, the deputy is going to be OK, it could have been bad.” Bowman said the officer “fired shots due to his concern the suspect might be able to get a weapon from the stolen cruiser”.
The SBI is assisting the Sheriff’s Office in the investigation along with Taylorsville Police. The Caldwell County Sheriff Office, Catawba County Sheriff Office and North Carolina State Highway Patrol also responded this morning.
Photo: Alexander County Sheriff’s Office