CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said a Gaston County robbery led to a vehicle pursuit that only lasted about 30 minutes but involved a stolen police car and three separate crashes.
Wednesday evening, police said the suspect robbed an AT&T store at gunpoint in Gaston County. Shortly after, CMPD officers found his vehicle near the area of Remount Road and Brookhill Road and attempted to stop him.
He refused to stop, and a pursuit started at 7:59 p.m.
CMPD said the suspect drove northbound in the southbound lanes on I-77 against traffic. Once CMPD realized there was a great danger to the public, officers ended the pursuit.
The suspect kept driving on I-77 up to the exit for East W.T. Harris Boulevard, where he crashed into a guardrail. No other vehicles were impacted.
Police said the suspect then got out of the vehicle and ran into a nearby apartment complex, the Perimeter Lofts Apartments off Perimeter Station Drive near Northlake Mall.
CMPD's helicopter was overhead tracking the suspect when a CMPD Canine Officer came into the parking lot and interacted with the suspect. The suspect overpowered the officer after a brief struggle, and stole the CMPD vehicle — the K9 was in the parking lot at the time.
When the suspect drove off in the CMPD vehicle, the officer was drug by the suspect. While still in the parking lot, the suspect crashed the CMPD vehicle into a parked car with nobody in it not far away. The officer who was being dragged was thrown free and has minor injuries.
After that, the suspect drove out of the parking lot. About one block away, at the intersection with Northlake West Boulevard, he struck another vehicle. The vehicle had one person in it, an adult man, who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
CMPD said the suspect then drove the "out-of-control" CMPD vehicle off the roadway, into the woods down a steep embankment causing extensive damage to the vehicle.
At that point, the suspect surrendered and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. CMPD said he surrendered at 8:27 — approximately 28 minutes since the pursuit originally started.
Further details on his charges have not been released at this time.
