Crime & Courts

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police identify woman who died after April crash with officer

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police on Thursday identified the woman who died in a crash involving an officer, and said a criminal investigation is ongoing.

The crash happened April 21.

The woman who died on May 13 was 52-year-old Vandita Mehta, according to a police news release. The department has not released the officer’s name.

As the investigation continues, the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while a separate internal investigation is underway, which is standard, according to CMPD.

The crash happened at the intersection of Pineville-Matthews Road and Carmel Road. At the scene, police found a CMPD Ford Explorer and a Honda Odyssey with heavy front-end damage. The officer driving the Ford Explorer and three people in the Honda in addition to Mehta were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

“The preliminary investigation has revealed that the officer was responding to a call for service with the CMPD Ford Explorer’s emergency equipment activated,” the release said. “As the Ford Explorer was traveling south on Carmel Road and the Honda Odyssey was traveling east on Pineville-Matthews Road, a collision between the two vehicles occurred at the intersection of Pineville-Matthews Road and Carmel Road.”

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Ryan Oehrli
The Charlotte Observer
Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.
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