Driver leads police chase through Charlotte, scrapes by another car at airport

CHARLOTTE — Deputies chased a stolen car Tuesday morning that was driving erratically through York County. The driver, who police said was a minor, led a chase into Charlotte where they drove in the wrong direction and even hit a car at the airport.

Now, the search is still on for two of the young suspects.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said just before 10 a.m., it got a hit on a license plate reader for the stolen SUV. Officers tried to stop the car but the driver didn’t stop. Police said they didn’t chase the car at the time before the suspects hadn’t committed a crime classified as dangerous to life. Instead, the CMPD helicopter tracked the car.

CMPD learned three suspects were inside the car and all three were under the age of 18. The car drove on Interstate 77 South into York County, and sheriff’s deputies there briefly chased the car until it made its way back into Charlotte.

Chopper 9 Skyzoom was overhead the black SUV around 10 a.m. as they headed up I-77 North. They appeared to be speeding as they got on the shoulder of the interstate to avoid traffic several times.

As they drove into south Charlotte, the SUV got off I-77 onto Woodlawn Road and continued to drive erratically, using turn lanes and shoulders to avoid other drivers as it headed into west Charlotte.

The car eventually made it to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It drove with traffic in the one-way departure lane before it slowed down, made a three-point turn, and then drove in the opposite direction against traffic. It scraped against the side of a green Kia Soul as it drove off, continuing down Old Dowd Road.

The SUV drove toward West Boulevard, crossing the double yellow line several times to avoid traffic.

The driver headed down Sandy Porter Road and went the wrong way on Arrowood Road. The car drove onto school grounds near Olympic High School as players were leaving the field.

Police on motorcycles took one of the juveniles into custody on a field. They were running in between fields before they dropped to the ground with their hands up.

A second person ran into a neighborhood, prompting police to set up a perimeter. CMPD said they are still looking for two of the three suspects.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools said three schools were put on modified lockdowns because of the police activity: Olympic High, Steele Creek Elementary, and Kennedy Middle School.

CMPD said there’s no active threat to the community.

Channel 9’s Ken Lemon spoke with a few students who saw everything come to an end behind their high school.

“It was crazy,” Kilan Harrison said. “Like we are all getting out of practice.”

“A whole bunch of police officers. It was like 10 cars, 20 cars maybe,” Qari Frazier said.

They remembered seeing helicopters. Lemon showed them the view from Chopper 9 Skyzoom.

“That’s crazy, we were right there by the baseball field,” Frazier said.

When the three suspects got out of the car, the athletes said football practice was moved inside.

“We stayed in a lockdown for like an hour, an hour in a half,” Harrison said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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