A man at the center of a high-speed chase through eastern Wake County is in critical condition after he crashed his SUV on Wednesday afternoon in a busy part of Knightdale.
The chase began on Spectrum Drive in Knightdale when Wake County deputies tried to pull over a white Honda CR-V as it resembled a vehicle believed to be linked to a Raleigh bank robbery.
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Around 1:30 p.m., Sky 5 flew over the chase on Interstate 87, capturing the driver buzzing by surrounding cars, weaving in and out of traffic and sometimes driving on the shoulder of the road. WRAL News first learned of the pursuit when it was impacting traffic near the Smithfield Road exit.
The chase went down Highway 64 Business in Knightdale at one point and appeared to be driving through the town. The driver of the SUV eventually crashed into another driver turning onto Knightdale Boulevard at Hinton Oaks Boulevard. After clipping the front of a gold sedan, the SUV driver then lost control of the vehicle, spinning into oncoming traffic. The SUV came to a stop in the eastbound lanes of Knightdale Boulevard.
Around 1:43 p.m., the driver got out of the car near Widewaters Commons shopping center and ran into 101 Kitchen. Deputies and police officers surrounded the restaurant after he entered the business.
The driver, later identified as Anthony Mingo, appeared to be wearing a dark-colored shirt with tan pants.
Just before 2 p.m., it appeared that Mingo was escorted out of the restaurant, strapped to a stretcher and placed in an ambulance. The Wake County Sheriff's Office said Mingo injured himself with a weapon while in the restaurant and is currently in critical condition. He was taken into custody.
On Monday, Raleigh police responded to a bank robbery at a PNC Bank on Falls of Neuse Road. Mingo is believed to be connected to that crime.
Debra Stubblefield was driving the sedan that the driver crashed into at the intersection. She said she had just grabbed lunch at Chick-fil-A with her mother when the light turned green and she started to turn right.
"All of a sudden, this car came out of nowhere and hit us," said Stubblefield, who was not hurt. "It spun me up on the curb, and then I saw him go across and spin around. Next thing I knew, cops were chasing him."
Stubblefield was not injured in the crash.
"I'm glad I'm OK," she said. "It scared the crap out of us."
Mingo was said to be driving at speeds of over 100 mph at times while on I-87. A deputy had minor injuries.
Winifred Richardson recorded video of customers running out of 101 Kitchen. She's a former Wake County Sheriff's Office employee and said she saw the chase.
"I knew he was the guy they were looking for because he was running as if he was being chased, and he had something in his hand," Richardson said. "He ran into 101 Kitchen, and when he did that, the officer, highway patrolman, ran in behind him with his gun out."
Regina Lopez saw the crash and stopped to help Stubblefield.
"They were in shock," Lopez said. "The grandmother was crying. They were so scared."
Tony Godwin with the Wake County Sheriff's Office said their policy allows for pursuits for circumstances like the one they found themselves in on Wednesday.
"It’s a multi-prong decision," Godwin said. "One of the biggest ones was the crime that he was suspected of having already committed ... There was a concern, if we don’t get him into custody, there was the potential for more violent crime."
