Suspect Arrested After NC Highway Patrol Trooper Dies In Crash On I-77

[van id=”van/batchfeed/2018/05/22/wghp_b4f81640-5dc8-11e8-aa33-077096c6d67f” affiliate_id=”wccb” thumb=”http://ht.cdn.turner.com/cnn/big/us/van/batchfeed/2018/05/22/wghp_b4f81640-5dc8-11e8-aa33-077096c6d67f-320x180_300k-1-thumb.jpg” title=”North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Killed in Crash”]

UPDATE: State and local authorities have located the suspect who killed Trooper Bullard and identified him as 22-year-old Dakota Kape Whitt of Elkin.

Whitt was arrested Wednesday, May 23 around 3:30 a.m. He is in custody and was transported to the Wilkes County Detention Center in Wilkesboro.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper has died following a chase and crash on Interstate 77 in Yadkin County.

Investigators say Trooper Samuel Newton Bullard, 24, was conducting a driver license checkpoint when a black BMW failed to stop for the troopers and fled the checkpoint.  

Troopers pursued the suspect vehicle until reaching I-77 south traveling into Yadkin County.  A short time later, another trooper said he no longer could see Trooper Bullard behind him as he was pursuing the suspect vehicle and attempted to reach him by in-car communications.

Once the trooper was unable to receive a response from Trooper Bullard, he discontinued the pursuit and returned north on I-77.

The trooper located Trooper Bullard’s vehicle, which had been involved in a collision at mile marker 80.  Officials say Trooper Bullard was pronounced dead on the scene.  The SHP is actively working with allied agencies in a search for the suspect or suspects involved.