By Steve Lyttle
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Apr. 27, 2010
A man who allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife and led police on a 150-mile chase surrendered this morning after a three-hour standoff in the middle of Interstate 85 in Davidson County.
N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Gordon said the suspect, Arthur Duval Mims, 45, of Duncan, S.C., was taken into custody about 8:30 a.m. on I-85 near Lexington.
The standoff had forced authorities to close the heavily traveled highway in both directions, causing a backup of 15 miles and affecting thousands of motorists. During that time, the suspect sat in his truck on the northbound side of I-85, refusing to surrender to police for several hours.
The overnight pursuit went through Charlotte and several other metropolitan areas.
Police say Mims was wanted in connection with a shooting and arson in Duncan, S.C.
An N.C. Highway Patrol officer told NewsChannel 36 that Mims is believed to have shot his estranged wife and her teenage daughter at about 3:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Authorities in Spartanburg County, where the shooting and arson took place, told reporters that Mims' estranged wife was shot and killed, and the woman's daughter was injured and hospitalized. The names of the victims have not been released.
Tony Ivey, a spokesman for the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, said Mims is being charged with murder, assault and arson. He was jailed in Davidson County but is expected to be returned to South Carolina.
The series of events began about 3:30 a.m., when the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said it received a 911 call about shootings at a house in the 900 block of Terrace Drive, near Duncan, S.C. When deputies arrived, they discovered the house was on fire.
A short time later, authorities in Cherokee County spotted a truck described as the getaway vehicle northbound on I-85 near Gaffney, S.C. The S.C. Highway Patrol started pursuing the Ford F-150 pickup truck, through Cherokee County and across the state line into North Carolina.
The N.C. Highway Patrol and other law enforcement units were alerted and supported South Carolina authorities as the pursuit moved through Cleveland and Gaston counties. Before 5 a.m., the truck and pursing police cars moved through the Charlotte area. N.C. Department of Transportation cameras along I-85 captured images of the truck being pursued by police.
During the pursuit, according to several sources, the man in the truck fired shots at police.
The chase continued through Cabarrus and Rowan counties. The N.C. Highway Patrol said it placed stop sticks on northbound I-85 near mile marker 58 in Rowan County. Troopers say those devices managed to blow out one or two of the front tires on the truck, but the man continued heading northbound.
The driver of a tractor-trailer told Winston-Salem TV station WXII that the white pickup truck passed him, driving on a rim and three tires, on northbound I-85 in southern Davidson County.
Finally, about 5:30 a.m., the truck came to a stop on I-85 near mile marker 91, in Lexington. Surrounded by police cars, the man stayed in the truck, refusing demands to surrender. Sometime after 7:30 a.m., an armored vehicle belonging to the High Point Police Department was called to the scene.
Troopers say Mims surrendered about 8:30 a.m.
Interstate 85 was reopened a short time later.
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