A North Carolina school resource officer stopped a high-speed chase Wednesday when he rammed into a speeding vehicle near an elementary school.
Officer P.D. Hampton was on his way to work at the time of the chase, according to ABC 13. The truck was reportedly going almost 100 miles per hour the wrong way down a highway.
North Carolina SRO saves the day, slams patrol car into speeding pickup truck during chase near school https://t.co/0mqlpMqskl
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 10, 2022
Hampton spotted the truck as he was passing West Elementary School, the outlet reported.
“As I pass West Elementary School, I see the headlights of this vehicle in my lane,” Hampton said, according to the outlet. “I try to block him in and he rams me head-on trying to get by me.”
The suspect, identified as Reginald McMahan, allegedly escaped Hampton and attempted to drive through the bus entrance at the school, ABC 13 reported. Hampton rammed his patrol car into the truck again to stop it from reaching the school. (RELATED: Three Officers Injured, One Suspect Dead After Police Chase And Shooting In Georgia)
“He did appear to be very impaired. He had, at several points, thrown stuff out of the vehicle,” Hampton said, according to ABC 13. “We did find ammunition in the truck, but a weapon [was] not found.”
Hampton was not hurt during the chase, the outlet reported.
“When you think about worst-case scenarios, this is absolutely one of those,” Swain County Superintendent Dr. Mark Sale said, according to ABC 13.
“I praise him for his actions. He’s our hero for the day,” Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran said, ABC 13 reported. “He was going to protect those kids even at his own risk of danger to himself.”
The Swain County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller for comment.