A 23-year-old motorist faces a whole catalog of criminal charges after he allegedly led police officers and sheriff’s deputies on a high-speed chase through a large swath of Graham’s city limits.
This breathless pursuit, which occurred on the evening of September 28, reportedly began when a driver later identified as Xavier Juwan Atwater-Smith ran a red light at the intersection of West Elm and Oakley streets.
According to Graham’s police department, the 23-year-old suspect narrowly missed a police officer as he tore through the intersection, and he triggered a chase when he allegedly ignored the officer’s attempts to pull him over.
The officer was soon joined in his pursuit by other members of Graham’s municipal police force as well as deputies from the office of Alamance County’s sheriff. Atwater-Smith allegedly led this train of law enforcement “on a large circuit” through Graham that ended in a collision near the juncture of South Maple and West Gilbreath streets.
According to the police department, Atwater-Smith was subsequently rushed to an area hospital, where he was treated for injuries that he received in the wreck. Once he was discharged a week later, Atwater-Smith found himself in the custody of the sheriff’s office, facing charges that include assault on an officer and assault with a deadly weapon with the infliction of serious injuries.
In addition to these offenses, the city’s police department has charged Atwater-Smith with two counts of injury to personal property, one count of injury to real property, reckless driving, and felony-level fleeing to elude arrest. His bond has been set at $10,000.
