A chase of two larceny suspects that started in Wilkesboro Sunday at about noon ended with two suspects apprehended in Watauga after a second chase with Boone and Watauga County units.  Wilkesboro Police report the incident started at the Walmart in Wilkesboro where the suspects were seen fleeing the store with electronics, a pellet rifle and fishing gear stolen from the store, and were encountered by Wilkesboro Police on US 421.  The white Subaru with West Virginia tags sped away from the first officer, but the driver refused to stop at NC 268, and made dangerous passes of other vehicles—even in the median—before turning onto NC 16-18 and looping back to US 421. Due to the dangerous nature of the suspects reckless driving, the officer gave up pursuit, giving out descriptions of the suspects and vehicle. Investigating further, the vehicle turned out to have been stolen in West Virginia, and that the incident started with an attempt to cash a check with an expired ID.
This incident all started for Boone Police at approximately 4:30 PM with a called reporting that two suspects had taken her purse by force while she was eating at a restaurant on Rivers Street. The victim or the robbery provided a description of the suspects and their Ford Explorer. About 18 minutes later, a Boone Patrol Lieutenant spotted the vehicle on Hwy 105, but again, the driver refused to stop for the officer’s lights and siren. The pursuit led officers out of Boone on Hwy 105 towards Avery County. During this pursuit, the suspect vehicle hit another vehicle on Hwy 105 causing significant damage, but no serious injury, but with the vehicle still in gear, the driver and passenger jumped from the vehicle and ran toward the Watauga River. Lieutenant Goodman, alone at this point, pursued on foot down an embankment and swam after the two suspects across a deep section of a river, that as officers were rushing to assist him. Lieutenant Goodman caught and arrested one of the suspects near the river, and the second suspect was located about 15 minutes later in the Hound Ears community and was also arrested.  Investigators with the Boone Police
believe that these same suspects who stole the white Subaru in West Virginia and then committed Larceny at the Wilkesboro Wal-mart.  The suspects then abandoned the stolen Subaru, and immediately stole the blue Ford Explorer from a Wilkesboro home— the same stolen Ford Explorer that these individuals were caught driving in Boone. Investigators are still looking into additional crimes in the Boone area that may be linked to these suspects.