Man shot at deputies, school bus captured near hotel in NC

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) – More information has been released Thursday in connection to an armed man who brazenly led law enforcement on a chase through multiple counties while shooting at police and a school bus filled with kids before eventually crashing.

According to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, the ordeal began in Lincoln County when authorities spotted what they determined was a reported stolen vehicle from Catawba County.

The driver, later identified as Jeremy Aaron Huffman, 30, refused to pull over and led authorities on a chase from Lincoln County into Cleveland County.

During the chase, Huffman fired shots at deputies and an occupied school bus as it traveled down Hwy 226 near Shelby.

Stop sticks were deployed in an effort to stop Huffman. The chase ended when Huffman wrecked the stolen vehicle at the intersection of Highway 74 and NC 226. He then got out of the car and ran into the woods, shooting at officers as he ran away.

A passenger inside the stolen vehicle, identified as Jennifer Lynn Hughes, 26, was taken into custody at the crash scene.

Following the accident, multiple agencies including NC State Highway Patrol, set up a perimeter. Several K-9 Units and a helicopter were also called in to assist in the manhunt.

Following an overnight hours-long search, around 7 a.m. authorities received a call that a man fitting the description of Huffman had been spotted near a Days Inn on Hwy 74.

As another perimeter was being set up, a man was spotted running across Hwy 74 toward E. Marion Street. Officers ran after the man, identified as Huffman, and he was taken into custody.

Huffman was found with a 9mm handgun, authorities said. He has been charged with the following:

• Attempted first-degree murder – 5 counts
• Discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle
• Felony flee to elude
• Felony resist, delay and obstruct
• Possession of a firearm by a felon
• Possession of a controlled substance
• Felony larceny of a motor vehicle

Hughes has been charged with the following:

• Possession of a firearm by a felon
• Felony obstruction
• Possession of a controlled substance
• Larceny out of Caldwell County
• Larceny out of Catawba County
• Injury to personal property out of Catawba County

Huffman is being held without bond in Cleveland County at this time. A $10,000 secured bond has been issued on Catawba County charges. Lincoln County is also securing additional charges.

Hughes has been issued a $50,000 secured bond in Cleveland County, a $2,500 bond in Catawba County, and a $1,000 bond in Caldwell County. Lincoln County charges are pending.

“It was a great collaborative effort by all of the agencies involved to get these dangerous individuals off the streets. They had no regard for anyone’s life as they sped recklessly down the highway firing a gun as they went. The fact that they intentionally shot at an occupied school bus furthermore shows how dangerous they are,” Sheriff Alan Norman said Thursday.

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