Man at center of crime spree that ended on New Bern Ave. recovering in hospital, faces charges including attempted murder

Twenty-four hours after a bizarre and dangerous crime spree wreaked havoc in parts of Wake County, prosecutors are piecing together what's next for the man believed to be responsible.

Investigators said Willie Daniels set fire to his own home in Knightdale, shot someone in Raleigh, led police on a chase and then fired shots at Raleigh police officers on Thursday.

Many questions surround Daniels' actions and motives in the frantic chain of events that unfolded over about an hour. The ordeal ended with Daniels' arrest and three guns found at the scene.

Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said Daniels had a handgun in his waistband at the time of the arrest. Patterson said officers could see the weapon and showed restraint in their handling of the situation. Officers fired a taser at Daniels, but it was ineffective. Shortly after that, officers tackled him, taking him into custody.

"I am so thankful, extremely thankful that we did not have two dead police officers yesterday," Patterson said. "My heart was heavy even last night and this morning as I was thinking about that probability because you can see where there are shots to the front of both vehicles."

On Friday, a neighbor and close friend described Daniels to WRAL News as a nice guy, helping person and someone they trust. Daniels' sister said she is worried about her brother's emotional state.

Daniels was released from the hospital and, on Saturday, police said he had been taken to the Wake County Detention Center. His bond is just under $10 million and his first court appearance is Monday at 2 p.m.

Wellington Scott, a retired state trooper, felt the officers could have justified the use of more force given the suspect's erratic behavior.

"I feel it was a very courageous attempt to arrest a suspect in crisis," said Scott, who now trains law enforcement officers. "Bottom line, you want good, aggressive law enforcement practices with empathy and common sense and that's what I saw in this situation."

He faces six charges of attempted first-degree murder and other charges for shooting into an occupied vehicle, larceny of a motor vehicle, breaking and entering with intent to terrorize and felony fleeing to elude.

Police in Knightdale, Raleigh involved in search

Knightdale police said Daniels, 39, came to a Country Hearth Inn on Money Drive and knocked on several doors trying to find his wife.

When he was unable to find his wife, police said Daniels returned to his home on Gaby Lane, shattered the windows of the home and set it on fire. No one was inside the home when it was set on fire, but the fire caused a significant amount of damage to the first floor of the home.

While investigating the fire, officials were called for a report of a shooting in the 4200 block of Brockton Drive in Raleigh around 12 p.m. on Thursday. When they arrived, they found one person who had been shot. That person was taken to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Police did not release the name of the shooting victim or say how that person was connected to Daniels.

Police said Daniels first knocked on an apartment door, then forced his way inside and fired shots. Patterson said it’s unclear if Daniels knew the person he shot. Two people were inside the unit. Witnesses were able to provide a vehicle description and tag number to authorities, allowing them to quickly track him down.

Two people were inside the car Daniels collided with at the intersection of New Hope Road and New Bern Avenue.

Officers responding to the shooting spotted a car that matched the description of what Daniels was driving and gave chase. Daniels crashed with another car at the intersection of New Bern Avenue and New Hope Road.

Man fires on police officers, blocking New Bern Avenue

Daniels got out of the car and fired multiple shots at Raleigh police.

Viewer video shared with WRAL News showed the moment Daniels fired several gunshots at Raleigh police officers and later threw his gun down as officers have their guns drawn.

At least 11 shots were fired, officials said, and two patrol cars were hit by gunfire.

Three guns were recovered at the scene, including the gun in the waistband.

Officers did fire shots back at Daniels but did not hit him, according to police.

Daniels has a criminal background, with previous charges including assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon, trespassing, communicating threats and a previous domestic violence order.

The intersection was closed for over five hours during the initial stages of the investigation.