ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. — A Kernersville man was arrested after the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said he shot at a trooper following a chase and crash on Interstate 40 near Chapel Hill.
Tyler Lloyd Grantz was found in the woods near Blackwood Mountain Road in Chapel Hill after an exhaustive search Tuesday morning.
According to the Highway Patrol, the incident began at around 2:09 a.m. when a trooper pursued a 2008 GMC SUV that was reported stolen out of Greensboro on Feb. 20. The SUV was going approximately 110 miles per hour on I-40 near mile marker 261.
Grantz took exit 263 for New Hope Church road and wrecked the SUV by crashing down an embankment, officials said. After crashing the vehicle, Grantz, 20, fired shots through his window backward at the trooper's vehicle, according to authorities.
It's not clear how many shots were fired, but the highway patrol said the officer did not return fire and was not injured. The trooper's vehicle was hit at least twice.
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After the crash, Grantz left and a search began in the woods near where the vehicle wrecked.
According to authorities, the Highway Patrol and the Orange County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit both searched for Grantz. Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said that K-9s were able to track Grantz through the woods and off NC Highway 86 before they lost his track.
During the search, three schools had a soft lockdown on Tuesday — Morris Grove Elementary, A.L. Stanback Middle School and New Hope Elementary. Troopers and deputies escorted buses to school as a precaution.
A highway patrol helicopter and multiple drones with heat-seeking technology helped with the search. One deputy injured his ankle during the chase.
“This was a very serious situation," Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said. "We know that anyone who shoots at an armed law enforcement officer represents a significant threat to the unarmed public.”