CLAYTON — A wanted man was arrested Thursday afternoon after a brief chase that ended with his car crashing, catching fire, and a passenger being rescued by police.
Clayton Police said it started around 12:30 P.M. when officers approached a 2013 Chevrolet Impala in the Walmart parking lot after receiving information that the driver had outstanding warrants. When officers asked the driver to exit the vehicle, he refused, providing a false name, and eventually sped away.
The pursuit ended when the driver lost control and collided with a tree on westbound Highway 70 in the edge of Wake County. The car caught fire as the driver jumped and ran into nearby woods, leaving a female passenger trapped inside the burning vehicle. Police removed the woman, who was taken to WakeMed with non-life-threatening injuries.
Fire crews from Clayton and Garner extinguished the blaze, and westbound lanes of Highway 70 were temporarily closed.
Officers pursued the driver on foot through wooded areas between Highway 70 and Garner Road. He was located and taken into custody later Thursday near N.C. State Agriculture property with assistance from Wake County and Johnston County sheriff’s offices…