A Durham police officer was injured Monday morning when a pickup truck – driven by a man trying to elude other Durham officers – crashed into his vehicle.
The crash happened shortly after 2 a.m. at the intersection of Hillsborough Road and N.C. Highway 751.
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According to the Durham Police Department, the officer had parked his marked police car on Hillsborough Road, blocking the eastbound lanes while police chased a carjacking suspect in a pickup truck.
Police said Willie James Mayo Jr., 25, of Durham, was traveling east on Old N.C. Highway 10 when the truck struck a mound of dirt and went airborne, striking the officer's car on Hillsborough Road.
The hood of the truck was smashed in, and the Durham police car had significant damage to its right, passenger-side door. The airbags were deployed.
The truck landed on a car parked in the Auto First car lot. Holland Hale, who owns the business, said he recognized his lot when he saw it on WRAL News.
"I opened up WRAL on my iPad and saw a picture of something that looked very familiar to me, which was my front line at the dealership out here on the business on Hillsborough Road," Hale said. "And I clicked on it and learned that there was a lot of police at my business."
Mayo and a passenger, a 17-year-old girl, were taken into custody.
Mayo faces charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon, fleeing to elude arrest, larceny of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen goods. The girl was charged as a juvenile on the same crimes.
The officer reportedly sustained minor injuries to his hand and was transported to a hospital.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with any information about the crash should contact Investigator J.D. Colquitt at 919-560-4935 extension 29450.