What started as a routine seat belt check on the streets of Dunn ended with a Range Rover speeding away at more than 105 mph over the legal limit, a loaded handgun tossed from the vehicle, and a 40-year-old Fayetteville man facing six criminal charges. Antonio D’Andre Langston was arrested Tuesday after the chase wound through town and finally stopped on Greenfield Drive.
According to The Daily Record, the traffic stop began over a seat belt violation before Langston allegedly sped off, driving recklessly as officers pursued him through Dunn. Police say he blew through a stop sign during the pursuit before the chase finally ended on Greenfield Drive. Officers say Langston reached speeds more than 105 mph above the posted limit before the Range Rover was brought to a stop and impounded at the scene.
Officers with the Dunn Police Department, identified as A. Kornegay and C. Chavis, recovered a loaded handgun that police say was thrown from Langston’s vehicle during the chase, along with a magazine that reportedly accompanied the weapon. The Dunn police chief personally assisted officers searching for the Range Rover as the pursuit unfolded, per the same account. Inside the SUV, officers also found between $1,700 and $1,800 in cash, though police say the money was not linked to any criminal activity at the time of Langston’s arrest.
Why the Seat Belt Alone Was Enough to Pull Him Over
Officers didn’t need to witness a moving violation to make the initial stop. Under North Carolina General Statute § 20-135.2A, an unbuckled driver or front-seat passenger is a primary enforcement violation, meaning police can pull a vehicle over for that reason alone, according to BuckleUpNC.org. The state pioneered this kind of enforcement decades ago: North Carolina launched the nation’s first statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign in 1993, a push that lifted statewide seat belt usage from 64% to 80% in just its first three weeks, per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety…