North Carolina man faces 10 charges after alleged chase that struck three police cars

A 25-year-old North Carolina man is accused of leading officers on a high-speed chase north of Charlotte during which three police cars were struck and an officer suffered a broken bone, according to a WBTV report distributed by Gray News and carried by several affiliated stations.

Devin Valdivia was arrested Saturday, Nov. 7, and faces 10 charges, WBTV reported. Among them are felony fleeing to elude arrest, felony assault on a law enforcement officer and driving while impaired. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The pursuit started Saturday night in Iredell County, where officers had been sent to check on reports of a driver who might be impaired, according to the report. Police said an officer tried to stop Valdivia on Langtree Road, but he drove away and entered oncoming traffic.

Police allege he then struck a Mooresville police car before heading south on Interstate 77. After leaving the interstate at Sam Furr Road, his vehicle collided with a second police car, according to police. Authorities said he kept going, again traveled against the flow of traffic, then got back on I-77 and left at Exit 28. Soon afterward, his vehicle was involved in a crash with a third police car, WBTV reported.

The report cites two speed figures from court documents. The documents allege Valdivia reached up to 130 mph during the pursuit, and separately allege he drove 100 mph where the limit was 65 mph on I-77 and did not stay in his lane. The documents also allege he drove into oncoming traffic on Langtree Road and Statesville Highway.

One officer sustained a fractured bone in his hand when a police car was hit during the chase, according to court records cited by WBTV.

Police said the chase ended when Valdivia got out of the vehicle and ran, and he was then taken into custody.

Arrest records show Valdivia has previous convictions in Lincoln County for assault on a government official and attempted fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, WBTV reported. The records also list an earlier conviction in Gaston County for driving while impaired.

The report did not say whether Valdivia has an attorney or when he is scheduled to appear in court.

Compiled by True News from reporting by Dakota News Now, WCAX, Live 5 News and 1011 Now. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/891