A Durham man is wanted after leading North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers on a 130 mph chase down Interstate 95 that ended with his car stuck on a shoulder in Benson and a two-hour manhunt through the town's streets. Troopers have identified him as William Medina Morazan, but as of the chase's end, they had not found him.
The incident began around 1:09 p.m. Thursday when a trooper tried to pull over a gray Infiniti displaying a fictitious South Carolina registration plate on southbound I-95 near Four Oaks, according to JoCo Report. The driver initially pulled over, but as the trooper stepped out of his patrol vehicle, the Infiniti sped off, kicking off a pursuit that would carry the chase toward Harnett County, as ABC11 News reports.
During the chase, the driver reached speeds of 130 mph, weaving the car behind concrete barriers inside an active highway construction zone before exiting at Exit 79 in Benson, where the Infiniti became stuck on the shoulder, per the same account from JoCo Report. The driver then fled on foot, leaving troopers and other agencies to comb the area for him.
Two-Hour Search Across Benson Turns Up Empty
What followed was an extensive search lasting about two hours across commercial and residential areas near Main Street and I-95 in Benson. The response drew in NCSHP Aviation, Benson Police, Smithfield Police K-9, Johnston County Sheriff's deputies, and troopers from both Johnston and Harnett counties, the outlet's report notes. Despite the scale of the search, troopers did not find Medina Morazan.
Investigators later identified Medina Morazan as the driver after reviewing local surveillance footage collected around the scene of his escape, and they subsequently seized the gray Infiniti, per the same JoCo Report account. Troopers have obtained arrest warrants for the Durham man, who remains at large.
Construction Zone Added Risk to Already Dangerous Chase
The stretch of I-95 where the chase unfolded is in the middle of a $236.5 million NCDOT modernization project widening the interstate to eight lanes and reconfiguring Exit 79 at N.C. 50 in Benson with roundabouts, according to NCDOT. Routing a vehicle behind temporary concrete barriers meant to protect road crews and passing motorists during a 130 mph pursuit added a layer of risk beyond a typical highway chase.
Statewide, high-speed pursuits by state troopers have become more frequent and more dangerous in recent years. NCSHP pursuits surged 131% between 2019 and 2022, topping 1,000 chases in 2022 alone and contributing to seven deaths statewide that year, per WRAL-TV. North Carolina does not impose a statewide no-chase policy; instead, state law grants troopers an exemption from posted speed limits during pursuits as long as they drive with due regard for safety, leaving the call to continue or end a chase up to the officer's judgment about traffic and road conditions.
Legal Exposure Includes Mandatory Vehicle Seizure
Because the pursuit meets the threshold for felony speeding to elude arrest under North Carolina General Statutes § 20-141.5, the state's so-called “Run and You're Done” provision required troopers to seize the Infiniti used in the chase, according to the UNC School of Government. That statute mandates law enforcement deliver any vehicle used in a felony pursuit to the county sheriff pending trial. Medina Morazan also faces a Class 3 misdemeanor tied to the fictitious South Carolina plate discovered on the Infiniti, a charge defined under North Carolina General Statutes § 20-111(2) by FindLaw.
It remains unknown whether Medina Morazan has been taken into custody since the chase, whether he was the registered owner of the seized Infiniti, or the full list of formal charges that may ultimately be filed in Johnston County court records. Troopers continue to seek him on the outstanding warrants.
