GASTONIA, N.C. — A Charlotte man remains in jail after Gastonia police say he led officers on a vehicle and foot chase that briefly shut down Interstate 85 Saturday night.
The pursuit began when the suspect, identified as Harrison Hillman, tried to run over a Gastonia Police officer who had pulled him over on East Park Avenue and North Poplar Street, according to law enforcement sources and eyewitnesses.
A man and a woman, who asked not to be identified out of concern for their safety, said they watched the traffic stop from their house.
"We looked out the window, and we'd seen a guy with no lights head down into our road, and the cops blue lighted him," the man said. "Next thing we hear was..."
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!" the woman interjected.
"Gunshots. So I told my girlfriend to get inside," the man continued. "10 seconds later, we'd seen a black SUV take off, screeching his tires."
The couple said they checked to see if the officer was okay. They said the officer said the SUV's driver tried to run him over so he pulled out his weapon and fired at the car.
Law enforcement sources confirmed the account to WCNC NBC Charlotte.
"He was very shook up," the woman recalled. "You could tell."
A large police presence ensued prompted by multiple police agencies in the county searching for the suspect.
Law enforcement sources and arrest warrants said officers soon found and chased Hillman along Interstate 85.
Arrest warrants said Hillman rammed two police cars as he was trying to get away before he crashed on I-85 North past Exit 21 for Cox Road.
Police sources said after he crashed, Hillman tried to run and hide. Officers managed to track and arrested him.
Hillman appeared in court Monday afternoon, where a judge ordered his bond remain at $500,000 because of pending criminal charges in other counties.
"I was just in the area of whatever crime had happened, and they arrested me because my pending charges," Hillman told the judge. "I didn't even have anything to do with what's going on."
A Gastonia Police spokeswoman declined to comment, writing in an e-mail, "All is under investigation, and nothing further is being released at this time."
Gastonia Police said no one was injured in the incident.
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