From a Knightdale fire to a Raleigh police shootout: What we know about crime spree
A Knightdale man accused of a violent crime spree that began with him setting fire to his home and ended up in a shootout with police was taken to jail Saturday.
Following a series of crimes that ended with a major traffic closure in Raleigh during rush hour, Willie Jerome Daniels, 39, was arrested by Raleigh police Thursday afternoon. He had been pursued by Knightdale police earlier on.
After being taken into custody, Daniels was hospitalized for unknown medical injuries, according to WRAL, which resulted in his first court appearance in Wake County being postponed from Friday. On Saturday, Raleigh police said Daniels had been released from the hospital and taken to the Wake County Detention Center.
An online inmate database maintained by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office showed that Daniels is being held on a $9,999,999 secure bond, and is now scheduled to appear on court on Monday. Eric Curry, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the bond amount was not a typo and had been entered in the database based on information from the county magistrate’s office.
Daniels is charged with six counts of attempted first degree murder, three counts of shooting into an occupied vehicle, one count of larceny of motor vehicle, one count of felony breaking and entering with intent to terrorize, and one count of felony fleeing to elude.
Court documents and law enforcement revealed details on the timeline of the events and crimes.
Timeline of Knightdale, Raleigh crimes
According to court records and law enforcement, the Knightdale Police Department received reports of Daniels knocking on several doors at the Country Hearth Inn around 7:15 a.m., apparently looking for his wife.
Failing to find his wife, Daniels returned to his home on Gaby Lane and at 11:32 a.m., the fire department received a call about a fire at the home, according to Knightdale Police Chief Lawrence Capps.
Neighbors told police they saw Daniels shatter windows of the unoccupied house and set fire to the first floor.
He then abandoned his car and, before Knightdale police arrived, fled in a vehicle that belonged to him and his wife.
He drove to an apartment on the 4200 block of Brockton Drive near Capital Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue, where he broke into a residence to “terrorize” and attempt to murder two people, according to an order for arrest obtained by ABC 11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner.
He shot one person and stole a 2015 Toyota Camry. The shooting victim is hospitalized with serious injuries, Raleigh police said.
Fired at Raleigh police with shotgun, rifle
Officers responding to the shooting followed Daniels in the stolen Camry.
The ensuing chase ended when Daniels collided with another vehicle at New Bern Avenue and New Hope Road, causing a major closure at around 1 p.m. that lasted into rush hour until after 5 p.m.
Daniels crashed into a Honda Accord, then fired a rifle at the two men in it, according to court documents. The men were not injured.
When police surrounded him at the scene, Daniels got out of the car with two firearms and fired multiple times at officers, striking their vehicles but missing them.
Daniels fired a shotgun at two police officers, court documents say. Police fired back but did not hit Daniels or bystanders.
A witness video provided to ABC 11 shows a man at the scene appearing to load a large firearm and pointing it at police.
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said Daniels had a handgun in his waistband when he was arrested, according to WRAL.
Officers tased Daniels, Raleigh police said in a news release, and wrestled him to the ground to arrest him.
Daniels’ charges by Raleigh police include attempting to murder two police officers, the two people at the residence on Brockton Drive and the two passengers in the car he crashed into.
This story was originally published March 19, 2022 at 10:07 AM.
