Woman hit, killed in front of Charlotte gas station after making threats, CMPD says
A woman who officers say used a knife to threaten others at an east Charlotte gas station on Tuesday morning subsequently walked into traffic and was hit and killed on The Plaza, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
CMPD responded to a Shell gas station and convenience store in the 6300 block of The Plaza about 7 a.m., the department said, after reports of a woman “waving a knife and threatening others.”
When officers arrived at the gas station and tried to talk to the woman, she began to back into the road, according to police.
“Officers asked her to get out of the roadway multiple times as they were attempting to de-escalate the situation,” CMPD’s statement said. “That is when a vehicle traveling on The Plaza struck the female.”
She died at the scene, according to police and Medic. Authorities have not released the woman’s name or age. No one was injured earlier when the woman reportedly had a knife.
CMPD said the officers who were at the scene “did not have any weapons out” and are “CIT certified,” the department’s Crisis Intervention Team. CIT training focuses on de-escalation and safety tactics both for officers and the public, particularly in cases where a person is experiencing a mental health crisis.
The woman’s death is the second fatal collision on the road in recent days: a 30-year-old Charlotte woman was hit while riding a bike on The Plaza and later died at a hospital Jan. 6. That happened several miles away in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 1:20 PM.
