Police: Man on the run after assaulting, dragging Hillsborough officer with car

Hillsborough police are searching for a man they say dragged an officer after assaulting him on Wednesday.

According to police, the assault happened around 2:17 p.m. at a Sheetz gas station on the 1900 block of North Carolina Highway 86.

Police said they were called to the gas station for a larceny. Andy Simmons with the Hillsborough Police Department said the Sheetz wasn't the first time the suspect stopped at the store.

According to Simmons, the suspect went to the Sheetz earlier in the day and was stealing beer during a second hit when officers responded.

The suspect assaulted the responding officer inside the gas station shortly after they arrived. The man then ran to a Red GMC Terrain SLE and assaulted the officer again as he tried to remove him from the car.

As the officer jumped in the driver seat, according to police, the suspect drove off and dragged the officer, causing physical injuries.

"When he threw it into drive, he was tangled up with the officer and kind of holding onto the officer," Simmons said. "The officer was dragged by the vehicle [for] approximately two or three spaces."

Simmons, a Major in the department, said hearing an officer was injured made him fear the worst.

"It's the most terrifying thing you'll hear over the radio, that an officer's been injured," he said. When you do this job long enough throughout your career and it never changes. [It] immediately gives you chills."

Simmons said the robbery is similar to another robbery at a Sheetz in North Carolina before the end of 2023.

All three men, including an 18-year-old, were charged in Nix's murder.

18-year-old charged with murder of Greensboro officer could face death penalty

On Wednesday, the officer suffered minor injuries and a local UNC hospital treated him. Simmons said while he's glad his officer is okay, he is concerned the man who assaulted the officer is not in custody.

"If he's willing to assault an officer, as well as drag an officer from his vehicle...to steal beer, I would say he is a dangerous individual," Simmons said.

According to police, the suspect is a Black man wearing a green Columbia zip-up jacket, blue jeans, camouflage ball cap and black shoes with white soles. The GMC Terrain also had an after-market roof rack but no tag on the back.

Police said they are still working on identifying the man, but said he is facing assault on a law enforcement and possible vehicle charges too.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact investigator Andrew Jones at 919-296-9562 or by email.