3 men face charges in heroin bust as suspect escapes, causes wrecks in Chapel Hill

Three men were charged Thursday in Chapel Hill with trafficking heroin, an operation that led one suspect to flee the scene of the arrest and cause multiple car crashes during the pursuit, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

The operation, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, happened in the parking lot of Lowe’s on Fordham Boulevard, one of Chapel Hill’s main thoroughfares.

Two of the suspects were arrested in the parking lot, but the third fled the scene, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The man struck two vehicles in the parking lot before causing several additional crashes on U.S. 15-501 heading towards Durham, the release said. He ran through a traffic light, swerving in and out of traffic and exceeded the speed limit, according to a release.

After he got into a final crash, he fled on foot. A civilian started chasing him, the Sheriff’s Office said, until a DEA agent arrived and continued running after the man. He was captured by a deputy less than a mile from the wreck site, according to a news release.

Seven cars were damaged, and a woman was taken to the hospital for injuries that “are not believed to be serious,” the release said.

Jose Gilberto Anzaldo Gonzalez, 25, is charged with trafficking heroin, assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, maintaining a vehicle for keeping and selling a controlled substance, conspiring to traffic in heroin and possession of heroin with intent to manufacture and sell.

Jose Isabel Anzaldo Gonzalez, 24, and Everardo Herrera Lara, 29, were each charged with conspiring to traffic in heroin.

The sheriff’s office did not identify the suspect who escaped arrest.

Law enforcement seized almost 8 pounds of heroin.

The three suspects are each being held on $2.5 million bail.

This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 7:57 PM.