FRANKLINTON, N.C. —A traffic stop by Virginia State Police in Southampton County on Tuesday led to the arrest of a North Carolina murder suspect.

Rashawn Arrington, 23, is accused of killing 27-year-old Jesse Montague in Franklinton, N.C., according to police. It was the first murder in Franklinton since 1992.

According to The Wake Weekly, Franklinton Police Chief John Green said Montague was shot in the back while driving. His car crashed into a gas pump at an Exxon station, sparking an explosion that sent a 10-foot fireball into the sky.

Police and State Bureau of Investigation agents tracked Arrington through his cell phone. Using signals bouncing off cell towers, investigators traveled in a pack of vehicles and followed instructions to turn onto 58 East toward Newport News, according to The Wake Weekly.

Police spotted the suspect and took him into custody.

“He was transported to the Franklin Police Department in Virginia, and after brief processing, was placed into holding until his extradition hearing (Wednesday) morning,” Green said.

North Carolina Department of Correction records show that Arrington was placed on probation on June 30 for a drug possession conviction. He also served 18 months in jail for violating his probation stemming from a 2006 conviction for larceny from a person.

Police say Arrington and Montague knew each other and had argued in the past.