Two dead after fatal police chase in Orange County

Mebane police said an officer tried stopping the 2005 Nissan Altima on suspicion of impaired driving shortly before 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of U.S. Highway 70 and Buckhorn Road.

The driver, however, did not pull over and led police on a pursuit that lasted several miles.

Officers lost sight of the car near U.S. 70 and Forrest Avenue in Efland and later found it at U.S. 70 and Interstate 85 Business, where it had slammed into a guard rail.

Three people were pinned inside.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the driver, Michael Walker Jr., 20, of Hillsborough, and Jazzman Jacobs, 28, of Mebane, died at the scene.

Emergency crews took a teenager who was in a back seat to Duke University Medical Center with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.

The Highway Patrol is investigating the wreck. The officers involved in the pursuit are on administrative duty, which is standard protocol.

"One can never predict the outcome in these situations," Mebane police said in a statement. "We do know, however, that loss of life is never the intent. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in this incident."

Police ask that anyone with information about the incident to call 919-563-9031.