North Carolina state trooper caught on video appearing to speed wrong way down highway

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ABCNews.com(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — A North Carolina state trooper has been placed on administrative duty after he was captured on video appearing to race down a highway into oncoming traffic on Sunday night.

Sergeant Michael Baker of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety told ABC News in an email that “Trooper T.J. Williamson was placed on administrative duty pending an internal investigation by the State Highway Patrol” on Monday.

ABC affiliate WSOC-TV reported that the trooper was responding to complaints of illegal street racing when he drove onto the wrong side of Highway 321 in Catawba County. WSOC-TV reported that state troopers had previously received numerous calls about street racers endangering others along the four-lane highway.

Carisa Lynn captured the incident involving Williamson on her cell phone, telling WSOC-TV that “street racing isn’t what you should be doing but it was more reckless, in my opinion, of the police officer to be driving the way he was driving, in general, to pull over some people racing.”

Baker said Williamson has been employed with the patrol since August 2016 and that an internal investigation into the incident is being conducted.

Seven people were arrested in the traffic stop on charges related to street racing and five vehicles were impounded by the state highway patrol, WSOC-TV reported.

ABC News has reached out to the North Carolina division of the Police Benevolent Association but did not immediately receive a response.

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