Suspect whose escape prompted lockdown at 2 Chatham schools in custody

A man who fled Wednesday during a morning traffic stop that prompted the lockdown of two nearby schools as a precautionary measure was taken into custody.

WRAL News was present when the unidentified suspect was arrested. Authorities said he was found in the woods, near where he fled from a suspected stolen vehicle around 8 a.m. Authorities said the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV had been reported stolen from the Harpers Crossroads area by the owner, who saw the vehicle being taken.

During the traffic stop, two suspects were taken into custody but a third man jumped from the vehicle and fled from the scene on foot.

The search for the suspect prompted the sheriff's office to request that a lockdown be put in place for Chatham Central High School and Bonlee School. Shortly after the incident, the sheriff's office said the schools were secure, and the lockdown was for precautionary purposes only.

Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson said authorities were told when the chase began that there was a weapon in the vehicle, but deputies who stopped the vehicle recovered a weapon from it. Roberson said there is no reason to believe the third suspect is armed.

Roberson, though, stressed the schools were placed on lockdown only as a precaution, and there was never a problem at either of the schools.

"I think with things going on in the media, all of us are concerned about schools and the safety of schools and we did this as a precaution," Roberson said. "This never was a school incident."

Extra deputies were at both schools during the lockdown. Roberson said authorities will remain in the area the rest of the day.