RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) is grateful to the law enforcement officers who were on hand when the vehicle he was traveling in was rammed by an impaired driver.
According to a spokesperson for Moore, the incident occurred as the speaker and Rep. David Willis (R-Union) were returning to Raleigh after attending events in Wilson that included a veterans dinner and touring revitalization projects in the area. Dan Gurley, Moore’s deputy chief of staff, was also on board.
No one in Moore’s car was injured and the Speaker has dispelled any claims it may have been a targeted attack. The incident was first reported on Twitter by Axios Raleigh’s Lucille Sherman.
Moore’s spokesperson said he is very grateful to the State Highway Patrol (SHP) officers involved in swiftly handling the situation and particularly grateful to NC General Assembly Police Officer Jason Purdue, who was driving the state-owned Chevy Tahoe vehicle at the time.
“On Thursday, Feb. 23, at approximately 9:43 p.m., the State Highway Patrol responded to a hit and run collision on I-87 near mile marker 9 in Wake County,” according to a statement from the SHP. “The incident initially took place on I-87 near mile marker 13 when a 2000 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck struck the rear of a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe multiple times as both vehicles were traveling in the southbound lanes.”
The pickup rammed the rear of Moore’s vehicle at least three times.
SHP’s statement also says that Purdue activated his emergency lights to signal the pickup truck to pull over, but the driver failed to stop, resulting in Perdue having to give chase.
The driver of the pickup, James Matthew Brogden, 38, of Goldsboro was arrested after finally coming to a stop near mile marker 9. SHP indicated their investigation indicated that “impairment was a factor with regard to Mr. Brogden,” and that EMS had responded to the scene and transported Mr. Brogden to Wake Medical for evaluation.
Per SHP, He’s been formally charged with “Misdemeanor Speed to Elude Arrest, Failure to Heed Blue Lights and Siren, Hit and Run, Driving While Impaired, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Collision, Resist Public Officer and Damage to Property.”
As of noon on Feb. 24, Brogden had been processed and was being held at the Wake County Detention Center.
