Concord man dies in car collision after trooper chases drunk driver
A 40-year-old Concord man died after a drunk driver being chased by law enforcement crashed into his vehicle Monday night, according to the N.C. State Highway Patrol.
Calvin Leon Costner, who was driving a gray Cadillac at the time of the crash, died after he was pulled from his vehicle, which was engulfed in flames on George Liles Parkway near Interstate 85, a press release said Tuesday.
Daniel Joseph Gomez Clarke, 30, of Charlotte, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, the Highway Patrol said Wednesday.
He was also charged with felony flee to elude and felony hit-and-run, failing to heed blue lights and siren, open container of alcohol, driving without headlights, and failure to stop for a red light.
A trooper earlier pulled over Clarke, who was in a red Chevrolet Camaro, at 11 p.m. on I-85 near Poplar Tent Road. He was going 111 mph in a 65 mph zone, the press release said.
He showed signs of being intoxicated during the traffic stop and didn’t turn over a driver’s license when ordered, fleeing the scene, the press release said. He exited the highway at George Liles Parkway “at a high rate of speed” and collided with Costner’s vehicle shortly after.
No other passengers were in either vehicle during the crash. A trooper suffered minor burns while pulling Costner from his vehicle, the press release said.
Clarke was being held at the Cabarrus County Detention Center.
This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM.
