CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Troopers think drag racing caused a wreck along Interstate 485, near I-77.
They said a witness told them it started at Fox and Hound bar and restaurant in Ballantyne. They believe people were talking about drag racing, and then did it.
Troopers said they saw one of the two vehicles, a white Mercedes, fly by them at about 120 miles per hour. They said they went to pull it over when the other vehicle, a minivan, hit the guard rail, flipped several times and ended up in the embankment. Two people were inside and taken the hospital, but are expected to be OK.
Troopers released one name so far: 34-year-old Julius Massey, the man officials said was driving the minivan. He faces charges including DWI, street racing, reckless driving and driving with a revoked license.
The Mercedes got away.
Terry Gillick can't believe anyone would risk their lives or other people's.
“There's no room for that out here on the interstates,” he said. “There's no room for horsing around on the interstate.”
He drag races for real, the legal way, on tracks. He drives a high-performance Corvette that has more than 500 horsepower and goes zero to one hundred in seven seconds. It also has extra safety restraints for the driver. Gillick said even with all that, he'd never challenge someone on a public road and shakes his head thinking others would.
WSOC
