A man suspected of driving while impaired led Carthage police offices on a chase through a residential area Thursday before abandoning the car and fleeing on foot in the pouring rain.

Law enforcement officers found the man lying on the ground in a wooded area a short time later. During the chase, a police patrol car crashed into the back of the suspect’s vehicle when it stopped abruptly in the road before taking off again. The officer was slightly injured.

Carthage Police Chief Craig Goodnight said officers from several law enforcement and emergency services agencies joined his officers in conducting a 45-minute search through about five acres of woods behind the residential area off Summit Street.

Shelton Shawn Tyner, 26, of 737 Summer Hill Church Rd., West End, was taken into custody. He was jailed with bail set at $25,000. His first court hearing is May 9.

State Highway Patrol Trooper T. Ross charged Tyner with driving while impaired. Carthage police charged him with assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle), felonious hit and run, felonious speeding to elude arrest, resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer and injury to personal property.

Tyner registered 0.24 on the Breathalyzer, Goodnight said. That is three times the state legal limit.

Goodnight called the response by fellow agencies both helpful and heartwarming and pointed out that the chase, accident and search all occurred during heavy rain.

Flees Into Woods

The incident began with a call about a driver who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol while at the Etna Service Station on Monroe Street.

Officer K.L. Wiles responded and when he approached the station, he observed a white man run from the station and get into a gray Ford Custom van.

Wiles said the driver traveled down Rockingham Street beside the station, ran through a stop sign at Rockingham and Barrett streets, then ran another stop sign at the intersection of Rockingham Street Extension and Summit Street.

Wiles attempted to stop the car and engaged the blue lights and siren on his patrol car, according to Goodnight. The officer’s report indicates that Tyler’s car was traveling 60 mph in a residential area where the speed limit is 35 mph. He said they were meeting oncoming traffic and the other driver was weaving back and forth in the street.

The chase continued on Summit Street, when Tyler slammed on brakes and slid in the roadway, causing Wiles’ car to slide and crash into the suspect’s car. The airbags deployed in the patrol car, which disabled the car, Goodnight said. Tyler continued down the street, he said.

By this time, Cartage police Lt. C.T. McKenzie had arrived to assist. McKenzie said he observed Tyler pull into a private driveway, get out of his car and run into the woods behind Summit Street.

McKenzie notified the sheriff’s office that a subject had fled into the woods following a chase and an accident. The area was closed off for a search.

‘Real Team Effort’

Wiles was taken to Moore Regional Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries to his shoulder, then released. Damage to the Crown Victoria patrol car was estimated at $2,000 and damage to Tyler’s van was described as minor.

Goodnight said he was impressed with the response from other agencies and the services they provided.

“This was a real team effort,” Goodnight said. “It just shows that law enforcement is a tight-knit family, and we work together. It was impressive to see. I really want to express appreciation to everyone who turned out to help us.”

Sheriff’s deputies, the State Highway Patrol and officers from the Whispering Pines, Vass and Pinebluff police departments assisted Carthage police. Personnel from fire and rescue units and the county’s Emergency Medical Services and Moore County school resources officers also assisted.

Goodnight said fire, rescue and EMS personnel helped by securing the perimeter of the search area.