Two other officers heard about the situation on their police radio andjoined in the pursuit which led police onto Highway 70, then Interstate85, where highway patrol officers got into the fray. They, too, were shotat.
Police say dozens of shots were fired, and several law enforcementvehicles were peppered with bullet holes. One Durham police officer wasinjured by flying glass from his windshield and one officer was involvedin an accident because of the gunfire, but no law enforcementofficers were shot.
The suspect got off I-85 at theHillandale Road exit and eventually hit another vehicle. At that point,the driver got out of the stolen Nissan and ran into a nearby wooded area.
Police pursued and captured the suspect, who has been identified as17-year-old Michael Howard. They found bullet casings and an undisclosedamount of marijuana in the Burgandy Nissan and founda handgun in the woods where the suspect ran after hitting the van.
The driver of the van was injured and was taken to a hospital fortreatment.
According to police, Howard will face charges including assault onpolice officers with a deadly weapon, endangering the public, stolenvehicle and various weapons charges.
The chase through busy Durham streets, which lasted for about 15minutes, reached speeds of 90 to 100 mph at times.
Police say there may have been other people injured along the way, butthey had not heard of any by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
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