Mount Olive police stand by chase that ended in crash injuring two officers
Two Mount Olive police officers are now out of the hospital after being injured in a crash.
Police said it happened while the officers were chasing a teenager who tried to drive off from a license checkpoint.
WRAL News has been pressing the department for answers about whether the chase was justified.
On Saturday night, Mount Olive police said a teenage boy pulled up to a license checkpoint at the intersection of Highway 55 and Country Club Road, telling officers he didn’t have his license with him.
Police said he then took off down Country Club Road, and officers initiated a chase.
"The officers did give chase and were involved in an accident," Assistant Mount Olive police chief John Duncan told WRAL News. "Luckily everybody has been released and the officers have gone home and they’ll be recuperating from their injuries."
Police said the teen has been charged with fleeing arrest.
It’s the second serious crash after a police chase in eastern North Carolina in eight days. On Mother’s Day, Tarboro police officers chased an 18-year-old who fled from a license checkpoint.
Darquavious Lancaster crashed into the home of Jeanette Drew, who died from her injuries. Tarboro police said the chase was justified and followed their chase policy.
WRAL News asked Mount Olive police if officers involved in this weekend’s crash followed their department’s chase policy.
"As of right now there’s been no appearance of any policy violations or anything like that," Duncan said.
The assistant police chief said the department does maintain a chase policy, and officers are trained to consider time of day and the amount of traffic on the roads when considering whether to chase a suspect.
Duncan says state troopers are still investigating the chase and crash, and his department plans to do the same.
"Ultimately I would have to support my officers," Duncan said. "If they feel that the incident should be chased, then I agree with them 100 percent," Duncan said. "As long as there were no policy violations or any laws broken, I back them 100 percent."
WRAL News asked Mount Olive police for a copy of their chase policy, and they told us one would be sent to us. We’re waiting to receive that document.
