2 young teens charged with attempted murder after shots fired at trooper in Orange County
This story was updated Jan. 29 after police clarified information about the arrests.
Two young teenagers were taken into custody Wednesday and charged with attempted murder after a weekend incident in which shots were fired at a state trooper in Orange County, Durham police said.
Investigators took a 15-year-old into custody and seized four firearms in the 300 block of North Holman Street around 12:30 a.m. Then at 1 p.m. investigators took a 14-year-old into custody in the 900 block of East Main Street.
The juvenile suspects face these charges in Chapel Hill, a news release stated.
- Attempted First Degree Murder
- Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill
- Assault with a Firearm on a Law Enforcement Officer
- Possession of Stolen Firearm
- Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle
- Possession of a Firearm by a Minor
- Assault by Pointing a Gun
- Discharge a Firearm into a Patrol Vehicle
- Discharge a Firearm in City Limits
- Resist, Delay, Obstruct
- Four counts of Damage to Personal Property
The case remains under investigation, and additional charges are pending, the release stated.
Shots fired at state trooper
The incident started around 2:30 a.m. Saturday on Interstate 40 in Orange County when a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol tried to stop a stolen car traveling over 100 mph in a 65-mph zone, reported ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner.
The car entered Chapel Hill, and one or more people inside started shooting at the trooper. Bullets hit several parked cars at an apartment complex on Timber Hollow Court near Mendel Drive.
The three people in the car, all wearing ski masks, jumped out and ran, ABC11 reported.
On Tuesday, police received information that two juveniles wanted in the case, ages 14 and 15, were in a black Infinity on Chapel Hill Road.
When officers approached, the teens fled and hit a Durham police vehicle. Investigators later found the car abandoned on Constitution Drive.
A short time later, state troopers saw them in another vehicle, and again, the suspects got out and ran away.
Investigators are working to identify the third suspect who ran from the scene Saturday, according to Chapel Hill police.
A person taken into custody Tuesday by the Highway Patrol at Legion Avenue and Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard was not a suspect in the Orange County case, Durham police said Wednesday.
Col. Freddy L. Johnson Jr., commander of the Highway Patrol, thanked the Durham and Chapel Hill police after the two teen suspects were take into custody.
“The dangers faced by law enforcement officers are evident from the lengths at which these individuals sought to avoid capture, but the tireless work by these agencies in seeking out those responsible once again showcases the resolve of our profession,” he said in a statement.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or contact CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200 or durhamcrimestoppers.org. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases, and callers never have to identify themselves.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 8:16 AM.