An 18-year-old woman, Evelyn Diaz-Lopez, was arrested after leading North Carolina State Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase in Johnston County, with speeds reportedly topping 150 miles per hour. According to ABC11, the incident began when a trooper attempted to pull over a Dodge Charger for speeding on Interstate 40 near mile-marker 317 on Wednesday evening.
The situation rapidly escalated when Diaz-Lopez drove away as the trooper was walking back to the patrol car. The chase saw Diaz-Lopez to quickly take the Cleveland Road exit and sideswipe a vehicle at the junction of Cleveland Road and NC-210. According to WXII12, the chase continued to US-70 near Smithfield, where officers ultimately lost visibility of the suspect's car.
The abandoned vehicle was later found in a Dollar General's parking lot on West Market Street in Smithfield, where it had collided with another parked car. After searching the area, officers located Diaz-Lopez within half a mile from the abandoned vehicle, approximately 45 minutes after the initial pursuit ended. MotorBiscuit reported that the series of events involved two separate car wrecks causing significant damage, but fortunately, there were no injuries reported.
Diaz-Lopez now faces multiple charges, including felony speed to elude arrest and reckless driving, with a total of 10 charges filed against her. Moreover, it was revealed that she failed to carry a to possess a valid driver's license at the time of her arrest. She was placed under a $200,000 secured bond and is expected to appear in court shortly for these offenses.
