Additional charges for 5 Charlotte-area teens hurt in auto-theft police pursuit
Five Charlotte-area teens tried to steal a car. What came next left them injured and facing criminal charges.
Around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Mooresville police observed five teens attempting to break into vehicles in the Gateway Boulevard area, authorities said in a release Friday.
The teens saw the police approaching and fled in a stolen Kia sedan, police said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police recently reported an increase in car thefts, mostly Kias, due to a TikTok trend among teens.
The officers pursued the teens to Highway 70 and Hurley School Rd. in Salisbury, nearly 24 miles away. The chase ended when police deployed a “tire deflation device” and the teens crashed.
Police recovered three firearms from the vehicle, two reportedly were stolen.
Following the crash all received medical treatment. Three were cleared and released from the hospital, but a 16-year-old and 17-year-old were still hospitalized as of Friday.
The two who are 16, a 17-year-old, and 18-year-old Kaylani Azija Dejesus, and 19-year-old Keishawn Deyoung Hatchett face criminal charges.
Dejesus and Hatchett originally were charged with felony breaking or entering a motor vehicle, and felony larceny of a firearm. The juvenile court system is determining what are the correct charges for those who are minors, police said.
Friday, police announced Dejesus and Hatchett each are charged with four additional counts of the crimes listed above
