Man hit by car after breaking into convenience store, witnesses say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man was critically injured when a car hit him overnight in southwest Charlotte.

The collision happened around 12:20 a.m. on South Tryon Street at Carowinds Boulevard.

[ALSO READ: $10 million project at SouthPark will add pedestrian paths]

Witnesses said it started with a break-in at the Gas-N-Go convenience store at South Tryon Street and Carowinds Boulevard.

A store clerk told Channel 9 the man used a piece of concrete to smash the front door.

Store owner Naveen Kumar got an alert on his cellphone when the suspect was trying to break-in.

"I found that somebody was trying to break the glass,” Kumar said. “So, I was looking, like, what's happening?"

Witnesses said police arrived while he was still trying to get into the store. They said the man ran behind the store then out onto South Tryon Street where he was hit by a 2016 BMW X3.

John Spears witnessed the collision.

"As soon as he ran out into the street, that's when he got hit by the red ‘beamer,’” Spears said. “That red ‘beamer had a nice little dent in it, too."

Police have not released many details but said the driver of the car stayed at the scene.

The alleged would-be burglar was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police did not release that person's name.

The driver of the BMW was not impaired and no charges were filed against the motorist, police said.

Internal Affairs is conducting an investigation to see if the CMPD officers followed proper procedures during the incident.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

Cox Media Group