2 killed, 2 others injured in east Charlotte crash. CMPD suspects impairment was factor
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police suspect a motorcycle driver was speeding and impaired during a crash that killed two people and injured two others, according to a news release.
The crash in the 7100 block of East W.T. Harris Boulevard in the Hickory Grove area occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday when a red 2017 Yamaha FZ-09 motorcycle traveling at an “extremely high rate of speed” collided with a 2012 Ford Fusion, the CMPD news release said.
Police found the motorcycle driver, 25-year-old Anthony Ayala, dead in the roadway. Roberto Emanuel Ortiz, a 12-year-old passenger in the Ford Fusion, died at the hospital. Two other passengers in the car, including a 10-year-old child, were injured.
CMPD said they suspect speed and impairment were factors in the crash and that toxicology results are pending for Ayala. Neither are factors for the Ford Fusion driver, who was not injured in the crash.
Ayala wore an approved helmet during the crash. All occupants of the Ford Fusion appeared to be wearing their seat belts, a news release said.
This story was originally published January 19, 2025 at 2:47 PM.
