Man charged after deputy chase ends in crash, downed power pole in east Charlotte, authorities say

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A car chase by Union County deputies ended in a crash that brought down a power pole and lines on Albemarle Road in east Charlotte Tuesday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

Albemarle Road at Wilgrove Mint Hill Road was closed for several hours following the crash, but has since reopened.

UPDATE: Now only the far right lane is blocked IB Albemarle Rd. at Wilgrove #MintHill Rd. #clt #clttraffic #cltraffic pic.twitter.com/Zu5xCJfQIT
— Traffic Team 9 (@TrafficTeam9) March 1, 2022

At around 7 a.m., deputies in Indian Trail ran the tag on a white Lexus and saw that it was stolen.

They tried to stop the car but the driver continued driving, leading to a car chase into Mecklenburg County. Authorities tried a rolling roadblock procedure twice to stop the car.

Deputies said the driver then intentionally hit two patrol cars before crashing the car into a power pole.

“I stopped at the intersection and I see what looked like a dozen cop cars,” witness Robin Joyner said.

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No one was hurt during the chase, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Cars can be fixed. We’re just glad that the suspects in this case were apprehended and that the training was in place for these deputies to have the capabilities to end this quickly,” Lt. James Maye said.

Deputies took the people inside the car into custody, but the passenger was not charged. The driver, Joshua Orr, 42, was charged with felony fleeing to elude and two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.

The sheriff’s office also charged Orr with felony breaking and entering, larceny of motor vehicle, and larceny after breaking/entering, after linking him to a recent business breaking-and-entering incident in which Orr stole the vehicle used during the chase Tuesday.

“UCSO deputies were in the right place at the right time and apprehended an offender who showed no regard for the safety or security of those in our community. I am thankful that our deputies were able to put their training into action and prevent other motorists from being injured during this pursuit and subsequent arrest,” Sheriff Eddie Cathey said.

No other details have been released at this point.

Check back on wsoctv.com for updates.

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