Man arrested following 15-mile chase in Bladen County

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) — A man is in custody following a 15-mile chase through Bladen County.

Officers with the Elizabethtown Police Department received an alert from the Flock Safety ALPR cameras on February 11th that a stolen Honda Accord had entered the town limits on Martin Luther King Drive.

A short time later, Elizabethtown officers located the vehicle, verified that it was stolen and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, at which point the stolen vehicle fled.

The driver led officers on a 15-mile chase that ended near Bladenboro after running over stop sticks deployed by the highway patrol. The driver then jumped and ran from the vehicle with a handgun in his hand. After a brief search, the driver was located in some nearby woods.

During a search of the stolen vehicle, officers say they were able to locate two separate packages containing marijuana. A deputy also retrieved a book bag containing marijuana that the driver had thrown from the vehicle during the chase.

The 24-year-old driver, Hassan Nahaeem Swindell, was wanted by the NC Department of Corrections for a parole violation.

He was charged with Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Felony Possession of a Schedule VI Controlled Substance, Felony Flee/Elude Arrest with a Motor Vehicle, and numerous traffic offenses.

Swindell received a $100,000 bond and is being held at the Bladen County Detention Center without bond for the outstanding DOC warrant for the parole violation.