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A 20-year-old man accused of leading a state trooper on a high-speed chase through parts of Charlotte in a stolen car on Thursday had recently gotten out of prison for having a vehicle that was not his, records show.
Marcus Jamarr James spent one year and four months behind bars for multiple offenses, including two counts of receiving a stolen vehicle. He was released on Dec. 16, according to the website of the N.C. Department of Corrections.
But James was back in jail on Thursday accused of, among other things, possession of a stolen vehicle, hit-and-run and fleeing to elude arrest.
James was arrested after the N.C. Highway Patrol says he failed to pull over for a trooper just before 9:30 a.m. Thursday on Newland Road near LaSalle Street.
The trooper was attempting to stop James for a seatbelt violation and learned the car was stolen after he called in the license plate, said John Burgin of the Highway Patrol.
A chase ensued for about 11 minutes, during which the suspect struck the back of another vehicle and also ran onto the front lawn of a local television station. Burgin said a second collision also occurred, involving another trooper after a car that was traveling in the opposite direction on Norris Avenue did a U-turn in an attempt to avoid the cars.
The chase ended around 9:49 a.m. when Burgin said the suspect jumped out of the car at the intersection of 31st and Church streets and tried to run to a nearby residence. He was arrested by the trooper who tried to initiate the earlier traffic stop.
On Thursday, James was being held in the Mecklenburg County jail under a $51,500 bond. News Researcher Maria David contributed.
