Raleigh patrol chase ends in crash, drivers injured early Monday

A trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol sought to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation at the intersection of Wake Forest Road and US 401 on the morning of November 24, 2025. When the driver did not stop, a pursuit began and concluded around 2:15 a.m. near Falls Church Road when the fleeing car struck another vehicle, injuring both drivers and causing significant damage to both cars. WRAL video and Breaking News Tracker footage captured ambulances departing the scene with lights activated and airbags deployed on the damaged vehicles.

The patrol says troopers are permitted to pursue a suspect based on the perceived level of threat to the public and that officers also weigh factors such as time of day, traffic congestion, weather conditions and roadway type. The latest statewide figures provided by the Highway Patrol show troopers were involved in 1,193 chases in 2024, more than 1,200 in 2023 and 1,061 in 2022. Local reporting from WRAL notes at least six separate chases in the past month, including incidents that crossed county lines and episodes in which drivers reportedly reached extremely high speeds.

For residents of Wake County, the crash underscores persistent questions about when and how law enforcement should engage in vehicle pursuits. The North Carolina Sheriffs Association has framed the decision to chase as less about whether an agency can and more about whether it should. That tension between the need to apprehend suspects and the obligation to protect bystanders and other motorists is central to ongoing community discussions about policing practices and public safety.

City and county officials have not announced policy changes in response to the latest incident. The crash adds to mounting local attention on pursuit protocols and safety outcomes, and it may inform future reviews of how and when troopers initiate chases on Wake County roadways.