Chase, crash, search disturb calm of Wake County evening; deputies still looking for 1 person

Residents of a part of Wake County that straddles Raleigh and Cary were on guard Thursday after an overnight search for someone connected to a police chase.

For many, Wednesday evening was disturbed by the blare of an alarm from cellphones warning people in the vicinity of Tryon Road, Yates Mill Pond Road, Jones Franklin Road and Dillard Drive to stay indoors.

People who live in the search area received an emergency notification on their phones around 10 p.m.

It followed a chase, a crash and a shooting.

The chaos started when deputies attempted to pull over a white Mercedes with fake license plates on East Williams Street near U.S. Highway 1.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office said that driver Jonah Alexander Luker, 21, sped away. According to Broadcastify police radio traffic, the chase reached speeds of up to 130 mph, and Luker driver ran at least six vehicles off the road while weaving through traffic.

Eventually the Mercedes crashed.

When deputies approached the car, they found Luker dead of a self-inflected gunshot wound. A search of his criminal history shows Luker was arrested twice in January on charges of fleeing to elude arrest – once in Apex and once by North Carolina State University police.

A passenger jumped and ran from the car, prompting a manhunt and lockdown of neighborhoods in the vicinity of Tryon Road, Yates Mill Pond Road, Jones Franklin Road and Dillard Drive.

Law enforcement officers closed roads, patrolled streets and searched along the greenway into Thursday morning.

One resident said the manhunt and road closures left him unable to return home. Others were trapped in the neighborhood and unable to leave for hours.

"It's been very, very, very frustrating honesty," one resident said. "I have my little brother and my mother and sister at home."

Sarah Holder said she could hear sirens and helicopters from her home.

"I looked on a map to see how close it was, and I was shocked. We're in the county; we're not in the city. There's not a lot that goes on out here.

"We were a little worried about what's going on and a little bit scared about what could be happening outside of our house in the dark.," she said.

Around 2:30 a.m., the sheriff's office said the search of the immediate area had concluded, and they gave an "all clear." Roving patrols continued into the Thursday morning.

Shortly after 10 a.m., Sheriff Willie Rowe said, "We have no reason to believe he is in the area near Tryon Road and Yates Mill Pond Road. There is no known threat to the community.

"I want to thank the community for their cooperation and patience as we investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident."

No arrests have been made connected to the chase or crash, and the sheriff's office did not release any description of the person they had been searching for.

Holder said, "We're still kind of nervous.

"Our property's an acre," she said. "We haven't searched it; we haven't see police searching it."

Anyone with any information that may assist in the investigation is asked to call the Wake County Sheriff’s Office at (919) 856-6911 or dial 911.