4 minors steal car in Charlotte, run from police — until cops take the tires out

Four minors are in custody after a police chase ended in popped tires and seized guns Monday, officials said.

Monroe Police Department officers tried to stop the car they say the juveniles stole from Charlotte as it traveled down Concord Highway, according to a news release.

The car fled, but Union County Sheriff’s Office deputies used a tire deflation device to stall it. Officers arrested the group in Matthews on Highway 74 near its intersection with Interstate 485, WSOC, The Charlotte Observer’s news partner, reported.

Police found two handguns with the youths, according to the release.

According to North Carolina law, it is a misdemeanor for someone younger than 18 to have a handgun. No one younger than 21 can buy handguns and no one younger than 18 can buy shotguns or rifles.

All four will face criminal charges through the Department of Juvenile Justice, police said.

Julia Coin

The Charlotte Observer

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Julia Coin covers courts, legal issues, police and public safety around Charlotte and is part of the Pulitzer-finalist team that covered Tropical Storm Helene in North Carolina. As the Observer’s breaking news reporter, she unveiled how fentanyl infiltrated local schools. Michigan-born and Florida-raised, she studied journalism at the University of Florida, where she covered statewide legislation, sexual assault on campus and Hurricane Ian in her hometown of Sanibel Island. Support my work with a digital subscription