Man accused of shooting at trooper on I-40 held under $1M bond

Tyler Lloyd Grantz, 20, of Kernersville, was taken into custody Tuesday morning near Blackwood Mountain Road during a massive manhunt that involved at least 100 law enforcement officers.

Grantz made his first court appearance at about 2 p.m. on several charges, including attempted first-degree murder.

Law enforcement K9s, drones and officers from four law enforcement agencies participated in the manhunt, which took place in a wooded area in Orange County for much of Tuesday morning.

Investigators started pulling back, trying to become less visible, to give the suspect a false sense of security. Officers found Grantz while he was trying to run from the area.

During the search for Grantz, a couple of deputies were hurt, including Joseph Winecoff, who sprained his ankle and had to be carried out.

"I had some very strong guys, and actually very strong females, they lugged me out. they loaded me up and carried me out," he said.

The second officer was bitten on the leg by a police dog during the search.

Knox said Trooper Evan Dix was trying to stop a 2008 GMC SUV that was going about 100 mph on Interstate 40 around 2 a.m. early Tuesday.

Grantz didn't stop, and a pursuit of the SUV began, lasting for about 4 miles.

Grantz crashed at the New Hope Church Road exit near Hillsborough, Knox said.

During the chase, Grantz shot at Dix multiple times, authorities said. Dix immediately retreated into his vehicle, which was hit in the front, but Dix was not injured during the gunfire.

The trooper has been with the Highway Patrol for a couple of years, Knox said.

He said the trooper wanted to help search for the suspect but was told to rest.

Officials said Dix did not return fire.

Knox said Grantz was boastful when he was arrested and asked if officers were proud of themselves. Knox said they were.

The vehicle Grantz was driving was reported as stolen out of Greensboro on Feb. 20.

Four area schools had been under a "soft" lockdown: New Hope Elementary School, Morris Grove Elementary School, A.L. Stanback Middle School and Partnership Academy. Outside doors were locked, but classes were resuming as normal inside.

The lockdown was lifted after Grantz was taken into custody.