Driver arrested after hitting Durham police car head on in wrong-way crash, police say

Police have arrested a 21-year-old Wake Forest driver after a wrong-way collision with a Durham police car on Sunday.

Mikael Young was charged Monday with felony serious injury by vehicle, according to a Durham Police Department news release. She was charged Sunday with driving while impaired, driving wrong way on a dual lane highway, and reckless driving, the release stated.

Young was arrested at her home Monday by the Wake Forest Police Department and was taken to the Wake County jail, where she was placed under $15,000 secured bail, the release stated.

The collision happened around 3 a.m. Sunday in the 3800 block of N.C. 55 in southern Durham, according to Durham police.

Officer Christopher Stone was driving a marked 2019 Dodge Charger southbound on the highway. Young was driving a 2014 Toyota Camry sedan north in the southbound lane and hit the patrol car head-on, according to police.

Firefighters removed Stone from his car, and emergency responders took both drivers to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Stone was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon.

Both Stone and Young were wearing seat belts, a police spokesperson said by email Monday afternoon.

On Wednesday, police said Young’s blood alcohol content was 0.21, nearly three times the state’s 0.08 impairment level and that Young also had THC, found in marijuana, in her blood.

Southbound N.C. 55 between Odyssey Drive and Carpenter Fletcher Road was closed for four hours Sunday while officers investigated the crash.

Police ask anyone who saw or might have information about the crash to call Investigator J. Rose with the Durham Police Department Traffic and Crash Team at 919-475-4149.

This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 3:17 PM.