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Dashcam video released of chase that ended with car smashing into fire station

LENOIR, N.C. — Police released the dash cam video of the police pursuit in Lenoir that ended with a car crashing into a fire department Tuesday.

Channel 9 learned that the whole pursuit was less than a mile long lasted only 61 seconds.

In the video, the convertible that police were chasing could only be seen for a few seconds as it sped off down Harper Avenue toward downtown Lenoir.

The car ended up crashing through the front bay door at the Lenoir Fire Department knocking a 30,000-pound fire truck several feet.

"It looked like the movies," said Shebala Norwood, who was in the area around the time of the crash.

She has questions about the pursuit with so many people nearby.

"It is really crazy because this was dangerous because there are kids always walking through here, parents with children," Norwood said.

Police said Ryan Jeffries and Vanessa Mae were in the car during the chase.

Minutes before the chase, investigators said the two had sold prescription drugs to an undercover narcotics officer.

When police tried to pull the car over more than a mile from the downtown area, they said Jeffries took off.

For much of the video, the car isn't visible as it sped off.  The violent crash into the fire house is also not visible in the video.

Firefighters who made repairs to the bay door Wednesday said they never saw police chasing the car.

It wasn't until after the accident that they arrived.

"This is not the way we wanted this to turn out.  The suspect elected to continue and the gap we were able to close on this suspect was a great distance.  He wrecked because of his choices not ours," said Lenoir Police Chief Scott Brown.

The fire truck that was struck was towed and firefighters said the damages to the truck could be more than $100,000.

Jeffries is facing 15 counts including eluding arrest and trafficking charges. He is still in the hospital recovering from the crash.

Snyder is also facing drug charges.