Dad with baby in car crashes in chase that reached speeds of 115 mph, NC deputies say
An armed man attempting to elude arrest led deputies on a 115-mph chase through two counties in North Carolina, then crashed — with an infant sitting in the back seat, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.
The 24-year-old father of the infant was captured and faces charges of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and felony speeding to elude arrest, according to jail records.
A 20-year-old passenger in his vehicle was also arrested and charged with drug possession, records show.
The condition of the infant after the crash was not released.
Investigators say the incident began around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, when someone reported a disturbance at the Pond View Apartments in Hildebran, about 60 miles northwest of Charlotte.
“The caller described two ... males in a tan, older model car brandishing multiple firearms in the parking lot of the apartment complex and causing a disturbance. One was screaming for a person to come downstairs,” the sheriff’s office said in an Oct. 17 news release.
“Investigators attempted to initiate a stop but the suspects fled the scene at a high rate of speed attempting to strike a marked Burke County patrol vehicle in order to escape. A chase ensured reaching 115 mph on I-40 eastbound, crossed county lines into Catawba County and continued to Exit 125 in Hickory.”
The vehicle crashed on the exit ramp and two men were taken into custody, both from Charlotte, officials said.
It was then that deputies discovered the driver “had his infant in the rear of the vehicle in a car seat,” officials said.
“Further investigation revealed that the passenger ... had crack cocaine in his possession,” the sheriff’s office said.
Bond was set at $35,000 for the driver and $5,000 for the passenger, records show.
Investigators did not say who took custody of the infant boy after the father was arrested.
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Dad with baby in car crashes in chase that reached speeds of 115 mph, NC deputies say."