How Charlotte police caught two teens who led them on a chase to Gaston County and back

Ryan Oehrli
·1 min read

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they used license plate reader software to catch two teenagers police said stole a vehicle at gunpoint this week.

A 13-year-old and 14-year-old were wanted for the armed carjacking on Tuesday, according to a news release from the department. And on Wednesday CMPD got a license plate reader hit on the vehicle, it says.

Police tried to stop the vehicle on Queen City Drive. When the vehicle kept going, police chased the teens on I-85 south all the way to Gaston County and then back to Mecklenburg County, according to the news release.

“The pursuit ended when the two juvenile suspects jumped and ran from the vehicle in the area of Hickory Bluff Court,” the release said. “Both suspects were taken into custody and officers recovered a handgun near the stolen vehicle.”

The North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice denied CMPD’s applications for secure custody orders, which would have required the teenagers to be placed in a secure facility like a juvenile detention center while they waited for their charges to play out.

“When making decisions related to secure custody, staff with the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention take very seriously any information addressing whether a juvenile presents a danger to public safety and respond accordingly,” Matt Debnam, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, said in an email when asked about the request being denied.

He added that he could not comment on individuals per North Carolina law.