Mooresville police responding to reports of a possibly impaired driver located the vehicle before a pursuit unfolded on Saturday, ending with the driver jumping out of his car and trying to run on foot before officers caught him. Police say 25-year-old Devin Mero Valdivia struck two patrol vehicles and drove into oncoming traffic before he was taken into custody.
According to Queen City News, Mooresville police responded Saturday, Nov. 7, to reports of a possibly impaired driver. Officers located the suspect vehicle on Langtree Road, where the pursuit began, and the car struck an MPD patrol car before heading south on I-77.
Chase Crosses Into Oncoming Lanes
The pursuit didn't end there. It continued onto Sam Furr Road, where another collision occurred between a police vehicle and the suspect, per the outlet's report. The driver then drove into oncoming traffic before returning to I-77 and taking Exit 28, and police said a third collision involving a patrol vehicle happened a short time later.
Once the chase finally came to a stop, Valdivia jumped out of the vehicle and tried to run away, the report notes. Officers ultimately took him into custody. He now faces felony flee to elude, assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, driving while impaired, resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer, damage to property, and numerous traffic offenses, the same account states.
Part Of A Pattern In Iredell County
This is not the only high-speed pursuit to rattle the Mooresville area in recent months. A separate case detailed in a prior Hoodline report described 23-year-old Dre'Quan Komayne Brown facing more than a dozen charges after a chase that topped 100 mph and hit 95 mph in a 45 mph zone on River Highway, ending with a crash and foot pursuit during which Brown fell on his 2-year-old son, leaving the toddler with a scratch to his arm. That earlier coverage characterized high-speed chases as having become a recurring theme in local law enforcement.
North Carolina recorded more than 11,700 reported hit-and-run incidents in 2020 alone, resulting in over 5,600 injuries and 62 deaths.
What The Charges Could Mean
Under North Carolina law, speeding to elude arrest is addressed by G.S. 20-141.5, which states it is unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle on a street or highway while fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, according to the statute published by the North Carolina General Assembly. Separately, assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon falls under G.S. 14-34.2, a statute covering assaults with a firearm or other deadly weapon against government officers, per the same legislative body's published statute. The available excerpts of both laws do not detail every element or potential penalty that could apply in Valdivia's case.
