CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CMPD says thieves are targeting construction sites, ripping off expensive equipment or appliances.
A police chase that ended in Midtown Charlotte early Friday morning began as a suspected construction robbery in Kannapolis.
The Kannapolis Police Department said it responded around 2:30 a.m. to reports of a robbery at a home under construction in the area of Concord Lake Road. When officers arrived, the suspects jumped into a large Penske box truck and took off.
Kannapolis Police followed the truck into Concord and, then, into Charlotte.
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A spokesperson for the Kannapolis Police Department told WCNC Charlotte the suspects are believed to be involved "in a number of new home construction thefts."
The spokesperson said the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Department used a device called spikes tips to cause the truck's tires to blow. The officers followed the truck at a low rate of speed until it stopped, the police department said.
The truck, which police determined had been stolen, came to a halt along Charlottetown Avenue in Charlotte around 3 a.m. There were no injuries reported by Kannapolis Police.
Meanwhile, in Charlotte, construction is booming.
“There’s a lot of money that’s wrapped up in these job sites and you can’t always install the material the day you get it, so we have a lot of things that tend to be stored that are high-value materials," Sean Quinn, the Director of Operations for Clancy & Theys Construction, said.
Right now, they have several multi-family units being built in Charlotte.
“We’ll secure the site with parameter fencing; we'll have guards in the evening," Quinn, said.
Still, they too have had their fair share of property theft.
“They’re crimes of opportunity, if material is left outside or unsecured people take opportunities to grab it," Quinn said.
Abby Ring, a lead trade instructor for She Built This City, a Charlotte nonprofit working to get women in construction, has seen it all.
“You lose your lumber packages, fiberglass tubes, appliances, I’ve had a whole HVAC stolen from a job site after I installed," Ring said.
She's hopeful that thieves won't continue to target new home development.
“You just want to come up with ways and try to secure as much as you can," Ring said. “It’s an overall terrible experience for everybody."
As for the suspected construction robbery in Kannapolis, Jamie Shawn McCorkle, 44, of Concord and Neil Edward Branch, 45, of Charlotte were arrested.
McCorkle has been charged with felony flee to elude, felony breaking and entering, felony larceny after breaking and entering, felony larceny of motor vehicle, resisting a public officer, and other traffic offenses. Branch has been charged with felony breaking and entering, felony larceny after breaking and entering, and felony larceny of motor vehicle. Both have since been taken to the Cabarrus County Jail.
McCorkle and Branch are believed to have been involved in other recent larcenies involving construction sites.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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