Armed carjacker pulls open car door at traffic light and forces driver out, CMPD says

A Charlotte motorist stopped at a traffic light during evening rush hour was carjacked at gunpoint, according to Charlotte Mecklenburg Police.

The driver was not harmed, but a mother and child were injured when the suspect later crashed in the car they were traveling in, police said in a news release.

It happened around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the University City area of northwest Charlotte, and a suspect is in custody, police said.

“The caller advised officers that an armed suspect approached a vehicle at a stoplight and opened the car door. The suspect pointed a handgun at the driver of the car and demanded the driver to get out,” police said.

“The suspect then got into the vehicle and left the scene.”

A short time later, CMPD’s Real Time Crime Center located the vehicle traveling inbound on The Plaza. A police pursuit was initiated, but quickly called off when offices observed the suspect “driving recklessly in traffic,” CMPD said.

“The suspect later crashed, hitting an uninvolved vehicle with an adult female and child inside at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Harrill Street,” CMPD said.

“The suspect jumped and ran from the stolen vehicle. CMPD’s K9 Unit responded to the scene and quickly tracked the suspect hiding inside of a trash can. The suspect was arrested without further incident.”

A search of the stolen vehicle revealed a hang gun had been left inside, police said.

Investigators say officers assisted the mother and child out of their crashed vehicle, and both were transported to a hospital “as a precaution.”

CMPD has not yet released the identity of the suspect, and charges filed in the case.

This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 6:47 AM.