A series of vehicle break-ins and gunfire in a Chapel Hill neighborhood Thursday morning led to a trio of arrests, according to local authorities.
The Town of Chapel Hill shared an alert at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday saying the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested three people after an investigation and vehicle pursuit from shots fired reported at 11:49 a.m. In the 100 block of Collinson Drive, a residential street off Piney Mountain Road, witnesses reported seeing suspect breaking into nearby vehicles. When leaving the area, Chapel Hill Police said one of the suspects shot at the witnesses, who went uninjured by the gunfire.
According to the town, police officers later spotted the suspects’ vehicle and pursued it north to town limits. A release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said their deputies spotted the vehicle — a maroon Jeep — near the intersection of New Hope Church Road and NC Highway 86 right before 12 p.m. and picked up the pursuit. The trio of suspects abandoned the Jeep in a residential driveway on Landeau Drive, which is off of Old NC Highway 10 and split up on foot. Sheriff’s deputies arrested one person after a foot chase along Old Number 10 at 12:16 p.m., and additional law enforcement chased the other two suspects from the woods to be arrested near Interstate 85 about 15 minutes later, according to the alert. Sheriff’s deputies recovered two firearms in the process of the chase.
An update from Chapel Hill Police on Thursday night identified the trio as 19-year-old Fabian Swen, 19-year-old Adrian Milton, and 21-year-old Darius Hailey. All three are Durham residents, according to investigators.
Swen and Milton face charges of: attempted felony murder, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, felony larceny, felony possession of stolen goods, financial card theft, and possession of a stolen vehicle. Hailey faces the same charges, as well as counts of resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer and felony fleeing to elude arrest.
“These were understandably tense moments and we’re thankful no one was hurt,” Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew said. “We appreciate the immediate help we received from our neighboring law enforcement agencies. Our strong partnerships go a long way in serving and protecting our communities.”
“We are pleased we apprehended those involved in stealing from and terrorizing people in Chapel Hill,” added Sheriff Charles Blackwood in his office’s release. “It is always a good day when we remove violent offenders and their weapons from our community. I was very impressed by the behavior of motorists affected by the pursuit. Drivers followed directions and cooperated with our efforts to keep them safe. We also appreciate the information provided by witnesses who reported seeing a suspicious vehicle in the area and let us know about the movements of the subjects as they fled on foot through the woods.
The Hillsborough Police Department and North Carolina State Highway Patrol each assisted in the investigation and establishing a law enforcement perimeter during the chase, said the town’s alert.
Hailey, Swen and Milton are being held at the Orange County Detention Center without bond, according to Thursday night’s update. They are expected to make their first appearances in court at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story described Thursday’s incident as an armed robbery, using the language provided by the Town of Chapel Hill. That phrasing has since been updated to remove that description and only indicate the suspects broke into vehicles and shot firearms at witnesses.
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