Two Georgia Men Arrested After High-Speed Chase In Iredell County

The North Carolina Highway Patrol caught two men after a chase reaching speeds of 130 mph ended along Interstate 77 in Iredell County on Wednesday.

The pursuit started just before noon when the Highway Patrol spotted a speeding white Mercedes. Troopers tried to pull the car over but it drove off, leading to a chase. The vehicle was reported as stolen.

Troopers said the high-speed chase ended when Iredell County Deputies threw stop sticks out in front of the Mercedes on I-77 near Olin Loop Road. The car crashed not long afterward into a wooded area in Northern Iredell County.

Two men exited the car and fled on foot around 12:30 pm. K9 units, a helicopter and drones were utilized in the manhunt.

A farmer spotted the suspects on his property and alerted law enforcement. The two suspects were arrested just before 1 p.m. near the Olin Post Office.

Two men from Georgia are in custody. The driver of the vehicle Pape A. Drame, 22, is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, felony elude, reckless driving and various other traffic violations. Drame was also served with a fugitive warrant for felony larceny in Pennsylvania. He’s in the Iredell County Jail under a secured bond of $200,000

The passenger Hamzah Jawo, 25, was charged with resist, delay and obstruct. Jawo is being held in the Iredell Detention Center with a bond of $5,000.

Photos: Iredell County Sheriff’s Office