Burlington police say a driver who dodged cars and sped over medians during a chase through city streets on Nov. 3 was finally stopped only after his own vehicle gave out from under him. Officers identified the man as 36-year-old Craig Shoffner of Burlington, who they say fled a traffic stop, drove the wrong way against oncoming traffic, and was eventually located again thanks to an automated license plate reader before a flat tire forced him to pull into a gas station.
According to WXII, Burlington police said they began receiving several calls from concerned citizens about reckless driving around 8:30 a.m. that morning. Officers located the vehicle on North Church Street roughly a half hour later and tried to pull it over, but the driver fled and was last seen traveling the wrong way against traffic on South Church Street, the station reported. As WXLV reported, the vehicle involved was a white Ford Edge that had been reported driving recklessly on several roadways throughout the city.
Dangerous Maneuvers and a Lucky Break
Police said the driver made several extremely dangerous maneuvers while trying to escape, including coming within inches of crashing into other cars and speeding over medians, per the WXII report. The chase didn't end with officers catching up to him on the road, though — it ended with a mechanical failure. An automated license plate reader system alerted officers that the vehicle had resurfaced on Alamance Road, and the driver's run came to a halt when he got a flat tire and pulled into a gas station, the station's report notes.
WXLV reported that officers detained and arrested the driver at the gas station located at the intersection of Chapel Hill Road and Mebane Street. Shoffner was taken to the Alamance County Jail following his arrest, according to the station.
Charges and an Outstanding Arrest Order
Police identified Craig Shoffner, 36, of Burlington, and said he was charged with careless and reckless driving along with multiple other traffic infractions, per the same WXII account. During the investigation, officers also discovered that Shoffner had an outstanding order for arrest for assault on a female, police said.
Shoffner was held on a $1,000 secured bond tied to the outstanding arrest order, plus a separate $3,000 secured bond covering the driving-related charges, according to WXII's reporting. No court date or case disposition has been reported.
