[kellyhound]

CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Police Officers and a sanitation worker caught 3 men who jumped and ran from a truck after a high-speed chase through north Mecklenburg County early Wednesday.

The men are suspected of attempting to break into a home in Cornelius and are accused of a number of violent crimes throughout the chase. Authorities said they got on their trail after a call from a Huntersville woman.

Around 10:30 a.m., Judy Valenzuela heard loud knocking at her door on Spruell Street in the Monteith Park neighborhood. She said she looked outside, didn't recognize the man at the door and saw two men inside a silver sport utility vehicle.

She said she saw the driver putting on a black pair of gloves and right away knew something was terribly wrong. She said she loudly told the man at the door she wasn't opening it, causing the trio to drive off. She got a tag number and quickly gave it to police. Police determined the men were in a Toyota 4Runner that was stolen on Tuesday.

Cornelius officers heard the police bulletin on the suspects and vehicle and began looking through neighborhoods there. They said an officer then saw the same men near a home in the Caldwell Station neighborhood. Officers said the men got back in the silver SUV and drove away.

Police tried to stop the stolen SUV, but the driver wouldn’t pull over. The suspects fled down Old Statesville Road into Huntersville, where Huntersville police deployed spike strips that flattened the SUV’s tires at Sam Furr Road. Officers said the driver swerved toward the officer deploying the strips before hitting them and continuing down Old Statesville Road.

Police said the partially disabled SUV turned onto Sherwood Drive, where they lost sight of it. They said the suspects then abandoned the vehicle and carjacked town workers at gunpoint. The trio sped off in the white truck with a trailer carrying a lawnmower, which belongs to the town of Huntersville’s public works department. Officers spotted it and again gave chase as the vehicle turned onto Gilead Road.

More authorities joined the chase as the truck sped onto Interstate 77 south. The Highway Patrol, Huntersville police, Cornelius police and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police were all involved.

After traveling several miles on I-77, the truck got onto Harris Boulevard and then went south on Statesville Road. The truck ran several other vehicles off the road and even traveled on the wrong side of the road at times.

About 15 minutes into the chase, the driver lost control on a bridge over Interstate 85, the trailer jack-knifed and the truck crashed. Three men jumped out and ran toward J.T. Williams Middle School.

In just seconds, officers on motorcycles caught one of the men, a sanitation worker outside a dump truck stopped a second suspect and officers then caught the third nearby.

The sanitation worker said he was standing beside his broken-down truck when he saw the men running his way.

“Two guys were running down the alley here. I slowed them up enough for the state trooper to apprehend the one guy,” he said.

Huntersville police have identified the suspects as 17-year-old Marquis Lamar Gaines, 18-year-old Timothy Montae Hines and 18-year-old Steven Razelle Staples. Police said the faces several traffic and criminal charges, including armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. All three have prior arrests in Mecklenburg County.

Huntersville Chase Frightens Bystanders


Merita Little said she saw something she never expected to see on her way to her daughter's orthodontist appointment around 11:30 a.m.

The Littles witnessed a real-life police chase in the streets of Huntersville.

"It was multiple police cars just going fast down Gilead Road, and it was very loud," Little said.

Charlotte Fink also saw the chase and what she described as a strange getaway vehicle.

"I thought, 'If there was a robbery, what a stupid car to be in -- a landscaping truck with a trailer,’” she said.

Chad Paul said his truck was hit along the way.

"I was just at a dead stop, making a right-hand turn, and that was it," he said.

Miles away, after all three were caught, Huntersville Police Capt. Mike Key said he was happy for a good ending to something that could have ended badly.

"No one got hurt, that's the main thing. It was just a potentially bad situation that worked out good," he said.

Break-In Suspects Could Be Connected To String Of Burglaries


Police are looking into whether the three suspects are responsible for dozens of other home break-ins from Cornelius to Charlotte over the past six months.

Andrew Warfield, whose home in Caldwell Station authorities believe was targeted Wednesday, said it appears the men knew what they were doing.

“Pulled the power meter, obviously to disable an alarm system, and it appears as though they attempted to open the phone box as well,” he said.

The men decided to leave without breaking in, but before they drove off an undercover Cornelius police detective spotted their car, which matched the description of one used in at least three Huntersville home break-ins this week, in Warfield's driveway.

That's when she called for back up and the chase began.

The attempted break-in happened when a lot of people were outside, some even walking their dogs in a park just feet away.

Sarah Riffle was in the park and saw undercover police running through the neighborhood.

“Taking the dog for a walk and all of the sudden we see, I think it was four, people running and their guns were pulled in the middle of the day. It was frightening,” she said.

Neighbors home with their children on spring break said they are stunned by the audacity of some thieves.

“I told my wife it's real close and it's daylight. You think of break-ins at night, when people are away on vacation, not daylight,” said resident Bill Locacius.

[chris]

damn, that one guy at the end was finally caught he was drug across the street by the police, too funny.

[kellyhound]

Fixed

[güttsfükk]

when the one cop falls

[SoundOfTheBeast]

Just wow. I hate being in NC sometimes.