Monmouth County fugitive wanted for attempted murder arrested in North Carolina: cops

A Monmouth County fugitive wanted on attempted murder charges was arrested in North Carolina, following a police car chase that spanned around 100 miles, authorities said.

Damian Bell, 49, of Brooklyn, is wanted in New Jersey for two counts of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon - certain person not to possess a firearm, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

These charges stem from an early morning incident on August 25, when Freehold Borough Police responded to shots fired on the 70 block of Center Street, according to the prosecutor's office. There officers found two adult victims, one man and one woman, with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to a local hospital, treated and released.

Bell was identified by police as the suspected shooter but he could not be located, so a fugitive warrant was issued for his arrest.

North Carolina police subsequently arrested Bell on unrelated charges earlier this month, and then contacted Monmouth County authorities after learning of the fugitive warrant. Bell now awaits extradition to New Jersey.

In North Carolina, Bell was charged by the Rowan County Sheriff's Office after authorities there said he tried to flee police following a traffic stop. At 11:52 p.m. on March 14, deputies from the sheriff's office received word from another law enforcement agency that a red Hyundai Tucson, later identified as being driven by Bell, failed to stop for one of their officers on a traffic stop, authorities said. That agency's policy would not allow them to engage in a pursuit for a misdemeanor traffic violation.

Soon after, Rowan County deputies located the vehicle on I-85 near exit 76 - U.S. Highway 52 - and noted that the vehicle appeared to be traveling around 25 mph over the 70 mph speed limit, according to authorities. They tried to pull the vehicle over but it did not stop, and a pursuit began northbound on I-85.

As the pursuit continued, other agencies were requested for assistance, and one police department deployed stop sticks at exits 102 and 103, authorities said. As the pursuit approached exit 102, the suspect vehicle hit the stop sticks, decreasing speed but continuing to flee despite having a flat left front tire.

The pursuit continued on I-85, where stop sticks were attempted again at exit 141, but were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office said. The pursuit continued and stop sticks were again deployed at exit 147, successfully striking the right front tire of the suspect vehicle, which continued to flee with two flat front tires.

The pursuit continued, but eventually the suspect vehicle began slowing due to not having any tires left on the front wheels, authorities said. The vehicle finally slowed down to around 30 mph and came to a stop just before exit 183 in Durham County, North Carolina.

The driver, later identified as Bell, was taken into custody without further incident, according to the sheriff's office. The pursuit covered a total distance of approximately 100 miles.

Inside Bell's car, deputies found nine handguns, one rifle, numerous rounds of ammunition and two bags of methamphetamine, authorities said. While searching the Bell, they also found crack cocaine and marijuana.

Bell initially refused to give his name and had no documents to identify who he was, the sheriff's office said. He was charged with multiple charges including felony flee to elude, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, carrying a concealed gun, maintaining a vehicle/dwelling place for controlled substance and resisting a public officer. He was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $150,000 secured bond.

Deputies at the Rowan Counties Sheriff's Office spoke with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office who confirmed Bell was still wanted on the attempted murder charges and that they would extradite him back to New Jersey, the office said. A fugitive warrant was obtained for Bell, and he was brought back before a magistrate where he received an additional bond of $750,000, bringing his total bond to $900,000.

Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth County fugitive caught after 100-mile chase in North Carolina