CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C. — One person is hospitalized in stable condition after the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office was involved in an officer-involved shooting on Saturday evening, according to Sheriff Matt Beickert.
Beickert said officers went to the area of Coinjock in reference to multiple calls about “multiple vehicles going at excessive high rates of speed.” One of those vehicles went down Worth Guard Road, which is where the shooting took place.
Neighbors told 13News Now they saw what appeared to be a high-speed car chase ended in a confrontation with law enforcement as Worth Guard Road is a dead-end road.
"They were driving crazy, they didn't know that this is a dead-end area when they pulled in - cause they immediately was going back out," said one neighbor.
Beickert said an officer called for backup at 5:50 p.m., and the shooting took place at 5:55 p.m.
Neighbors said they heard around three shots and saw one of the drivers keep trying to flee until abruptly coming to a stop in the middle of the road.
"The cop had his gun drawn telling him to get down, apparently he had a gun and the cop knew it," said one neighbor. "They got him down, and he was bleeding, shot maybe three times."
According to a Facebook post from the sheriff's office, the call came in about several vehicles "that were operating in a careless and reckless manner exceeding well over the speed limits, running red lights, and passing in the turn lane." The vehicles were traveling north on Caratoke Highway in the Poplar Branch area.
Deputies attempted to make a traffic stop, but the group did not stop and led law enforcement on a pursuit, eventually turning down Worth Guard Road in Coinjock. A deputy fired his weapon, striking a person.
The person was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital by Nightingale and is currently in stable condition. The sheriff's office still has not released information on the identity of the person.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is assisting the investigation, Beickert said. Neighbors said investigators stayed on scene until 3 in the morning continuing to collect evidence.
This is a developing story. Check back with 13News Now for more details.