MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C — A police chase ended with a man ejected and a car bursting into flames Wednesday evening on Interstate 85 northbound near the Mecklenburg/Gaston county line.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers said the man, who was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries, lost control of his car after being pursued near mile marker 27.
Troopers told Channel 9 the man was wanted on multiple arrest warrants.
Officials said the driver went off the roadway and his car hit a guardrail and then a tree, and he was thrown from the car. The car then burst into flames.
Deputies said the chase started in Gaston County off Ridge Road.
Officers said the driver did not pull over and continued traveling at high speeds.
Gaston County Sheriff’s Capt. Randall Newton said the driver has multiple warrants out for his arrest ranging from violating probation to robbery. His name has not been released.
"You see where he hit, I think he went airborne and up there you can see where the car hit and some of the frame is and he went into the tree,” Newton said. “It wasn't very safe. I’m sure he was speeding.”