North Carolina Trooper Uses Cruiser To Stop Wrong-Way Driver

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — Newly-released police video shows a North Carolina trooper using his car to stop a suspected drunk driver.

The trooper does not want praise for what he did but it is clear his actions saved lives.

“Once I saw the vehicle, I just decided to stop the chase right there,” North Carolina State Trooper Cody Thao says.

And stop it he did. Patrol trooper Cody Thao prevented a suspected drunk driver from doing further damage early on a Saturday in April.

In the video released Thursday, Trooper Thao’s heroic actions are earning him praise.

“All the credit goes out to the other troopers who inspire me on a daily basis especially here in Wake County,” Thao says.

Deputies in Johnston County were chasing a car on April 8th into Wake County. Cody heard the whole thing on the radio and sprang into action.

He say the blue lights and only had a second to think about what to do next.

“It could’ve turned into exactly the same type of collision that happened a little further east,” Thao says.

He is talking about a wreck on Interstate 40 in Johnston County near mile marker 315 that happened weeks earlier.

Troopers there say a drunk driver had entered the highway going the wrong way.

Cody praised his training and it is clear it worked for a guy who has not even been on the job for a year.

“I’ve always had a servants heart and I’ve always wanted to help people,” Thao says.

The suspect, 26-year-old Joshua Bibey, is now facing DUI charges.