‘Bam!’ House speaker describes SUV being rammed and car chase that followed

House Speaker Tim Moore was involved in a car crash, and subsequent police chase, on U.S. Highway 64 in Wake County on Thursday night.

A suspect has been arrested and charged with driving while impaired and other misdemeanors, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said.

Moore detailed to The News & Observer what happened Thursday when a car he and state Rep. David Willis were traveling back to Raleigh in was rammed from behind at least three times. He said he doesn’t believe he was targeted.

“Imagine this: We’re on Highway 64 coming in, at decent highway speeds, when a car — bam! — comes up behind us and hits us once,” Moore told The N&O in an interview. “I was like, ‘What the hell is that? Bam, hits us again, bam, hits us a third time.”

Moore said he thought, “this isn’t good.”

The driver of the unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe police car Moore and Willis were traveling in was the General Assembly police officer assigned to Moore. The officer, a retired state trooper who also served on former Gov. Pat McCrory’s details, turned the blue lights on and they pursued the other car.

“That thing could’ve gone south really fast,” Moore said in a phone interview Thursday morning.

Moore said he spent the day in Wilson with Willis, going to a community colleges event, meeting with business startups and then to the Wilson Whirligig Park with Rep. Ken Fontenot. Then Moore had dinner with The Independence Fund veterans group and was heading back to Raleigh with Willis, Moore’s deputy chief of staff Dan Gurley and General Assembly police officer Jason Perdue when the crash occurred.

Moore said they pursued the car that hit them for about six or seven miles, and the driver eventually slowed down and started to pull over onto the shoulder.

Suspect arrested

The suspect was then arrested. James Matthew Brogden faces a misdemeanor DWI charge in the incident, according to online court records. He was released on an unsecured bond, and is scheduled to appear in Wake County court on March 17 at 2 p.m. Freeman said he faces other charges as well.

“We’d been hit three or four times, clearly intentionally. We were rammed,” Moore said.

He said at the speed “that fool was moving,” cars can spin out on impact.

Moore also talked to reporters outside his office at the Legislative Building downtown. He said that the SUV was still driveable after the crash.

He said they were worried initially that their car was targeted.

“I don’t believe that was the case. I think this person, from what I’ve seen, was just so impaired to such an extent that he was just ‘out there,’ and it could have been anybody,” he said.

Moore said he was glad everyone was alright. He said when the Tahoe was hit, the vehicle “jolted” and “got a little squirrely.”

“And I just, I can’t say enough good things about how Officer Perdue handled it. I mean, he just stayed calm in the situation. He kept control of the car, because if somebody didn’t know what they were driving or just weren’t trained, I mean, it could have gone south in so many ways, because it was (hit) hard,” he said.

Moore said when they pursued the suspect’s vehicle, it wasn’t a “high-speed chase,” but was at highway speeds.

Gov. Roy Cooper said in a tweet Friday that he told Moore, “I am glad that no one was hurt in this alarming incident and that law enforcement caught the suspect. He said he looked forward to a less eventful ride home today.”

Moore, a Republican who represents Cleveland and Rutherford counties, is serving his 11th term in the House and was recently elected to a record fifth term as speaker.

Willis, also a Republican, is currently serving his second term and represents Union County.

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