Exclusive: Forest City Police Chief names officers injured by suspect

"Diego Salgado came through the checkpoint and officers noticed narcotics in plain view," officials said.

Diego Salgado (photo credit: Rutherford County, NC Sheriff’s Office)

Suspect Who Injured Officers Arrested After Pursuit

On April 20, deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office road patrol division and officers with the Forest City Police Department were working a traffic checkpoint in the area of Forrest W. Hunt Drive in Forest City, when a man injured officers, officials said on Monday.

A vehicle being operated by Diego Salgado came through the checkpoint, and officers noticed narcotics in plain view, inside the car, officials said. An attempt was made to get Salgado out of the vehicle, but he resisted and took off at a high rate of speed injuring two Forest City Police Officers. One officer suffered a broken hand and the other officer sustained bruising on the elbow, the release said.

Deputies pursued the vehicle approximately 4.2 miles before the operator lost control, crashed into a ditch, and ran on foot, the release said. Deputies caught up with him, and after a short foot pursuit and struggle, the suspect was taken into custody. During this altercation, a deputy suffered a dislocation and laceration of their finger.

Further investigation led to the discovery of approximately 1.2 grams of cocaine, 39.69 grams of marijuana resin, 44.22 grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia that was in the vehicle. Forest City officers recovered 23.22 grams of methamphetamine and 22.36 grams of cocaine from the suspect before he led officers in a pursuit. The North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene of the crash and cited Salgado for driving under the influence, officials said.

Injured officers from this incident were all treated and released from the Rutherford Regional Hospital. Salgado sustained injuries due to the crash and was treated in Spartanburg. He was released and taken into custody by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) where he is currently incarcerated awaiting extradition back to North Carolina on the following charges taken out by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and the Forest City Police Department:

1. PWISD COCAINE

2. PWIMSD METHAMPHETAMINE

3. MAINT VEH/DWELLING/PLACE FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

4. ASSAULT ON GOVT OFFICIAL X2

5. RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER

6. WINDOW TINTING VIOL

7. FELONY FLEE/ELUDE ARREST WITH MOTOR VEHICLE

8. FELONY POSSESSION OF COCAINE

9. FELONY ASSAULT PHYSICALLY INJURE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

10. MISDEMEANOR RECKLESS DRIVING TO ENDANGER

11. MISDEMEANOR POSSESS MARIJUANA UP TO 1/2 OUNCE

12. MISDEMEANOR POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA x2

13. MISDEMEANOR FAIL TO HEED TO LIGHT OR SIREN

14. MISDEMEANOR POSSESS MARIJUANA PARAPHERNALIA

15. DWI

The North Carolina Judicial Branch records only show DWI charges currently, with a court date of June 18.

Local legacy media organizations (WLOS, WYFF, WSPA, Fox Carolina, The Digital Courier, etc.) did not publish any further details about the condition or names of the officers. They seem to solely rely on press releases to report the news, typically without much follow-up. I contacted Forest City Police Chief Chris LeRoy via email for additional information.

“We did have two officers injured over the weekend. The officers were injured while they were attempting to take a driver into custody at a traffic checkpoint based on reasonable suspicion of drug possession. The driver fled the scene and in the process struck Officer S. Smith who suffered a broken hand because of the assault,” Police Chief Chris LeRoy told Cops & Congress exclusively via email. “Additionally, Sergeant J. Hill also suffered an injury to his elbow as Mr. Salgado fled the checkpoint. Salgado was subsequently involved in a vehicle pursuit with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office. He was taken into custody after a single-vehicle traffic crash. Both officers were treated for their injuries following the incident. Sergeant Hill returned to duty the same evening and Officer Smith is still recovering from her injuries and has not returned to duty as of this message (as of Monday).”

Jamie Hill (photo credit: Forest City Police Department)

Sgt. Jamie Hill, who has worked for the Forest City police department since 2018, was shot by another suspect in 2021. It is unclear when Officer Smith began her tenure with the department. Chief LeRoy did not identify her first name, and no public information was available on the town’s website or social media pages. A follow-up email sent Thursday afternoon has not been returned as of press time.

Situational awareness: An exclusive, or scoop, is an important news story that is first reported by a journalist. This goes a step beyond breaking news when no other journalists are known to be reporting on an important issue.

This article is free to read due to generous support from founding member subscribers. Thank you. Please support my future work.

---

🏛️ All those mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Thank You

📰 You make this independent, community-supported, public safety service journalism possible.

☕️ ⛽️ Virtually buy me a coffee or a gallon of gas to help me inform you by covering the important issues of Rutherfordton, Lake Lure, western NC and beyond. Donate here. For further inquiries, including tips, suggestions, in-kind support, or sponsorships, email CopsandCongress@gmail.com.

Follow me on X (Twitter), Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Learn more about this newsletter and my background.

(Free subscribers: Upgrade to paid to leave a comment below and don’t miss out on exclusive content.)