CMPD officer dragged by vehicle in chase that included 3 crashes and stolen squad car

A man determined to elude arrest led police on a bizarre chase around Charlotte Wednesday night that included crashing three times, driving the wrong way on Interstate 77, stealing a police car and dragging an officer along side it, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.

This all happened in just 28 minutes, and resulted in one police officer and one civilian being injured, police officials said.

The man’s name has not been released.

CMPD released a lengthy timeline of the affair late Wednesday, noting the spree began when an armed man allegedly robbed an AT&T store in Gaston County.

The police chase started at 7:59 p.m., after CMPD officers reported seeing the suspect’s vehicle in southwest Charlotte near the intersection of Remount and Brookhill roads, officials said in a release.

However, the chase was initially called off for being too dangerous after the suspect allegedly began driving the wrong way in traffic, the release said.

Here’s what happened next, according to CMPD’s statement:

▪ “The suspect drove northbound in the southbound lanes, against traffic, on Interstate 77. ...The suspect continued to drive on Interstate 77 all the way to the W.T. Harris Boulevard Exit. Just before the exit, the suspect crashed into a guardrail.”

▪ “The suspect ran from the vehicle into an apartment complex located near the exit ramp-the Perimeter Lofts Apartments located on Perimeter Station Drive (across from North Lake Mall.)“

▪ “An on-duty CMPD Canine Officer came into the parking lot and encountered the suspect. The suspect was able to overpower the officer during a brief struggle and stole the marked CMPD vehicle. The K-9 (dog) was not in the vehicle.”

▪ As the man drove away in the police vehicle, the K9 officer was dragged along with the car, authorities said. As the officer was being dragged, police said, the suspect crashed the CMPD vehicle into a parked car in the apartment complex parking lot. With the crash, the officer was “thrown free,” according to CMPD’s statement, and the officer receieved only minor injuries.

▪ The suspect then drove the CMPD SUV onto Northlake West Boulevard, where it hit a civilian vehicle, police said. The person in the car was then taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

▪ “The suspect drove the out-of-control CMPD off the roadway into some woods down a steep embankment. This vehicle received extensive damage as well.”

CMPD officials say the chase ended here when the injured suspect “then surrendered without further incident and has been transported to the hospital by MEDIC.”

This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 7:26 AM.