A juvenile led police on a multi-county stolen-car chase Tuesday night before crashing into a telephone pole in Charlotte, authorities say. The pursuit started in Belmont and ended with the young driver found hiding in the bed of a truck, caught with the help of a police dog after trying to run on foot.
According to WBTV, the chase began around 11 p.m. on Oct. 6 on Park Street in Belmont, when the driver fled an attempted traffic stop. Police say the driver then took off onto Interstate 85, setting off a pursuit that stretched across county lines.
Officers said the driver committed several traffic violations and drove recklessly during the chase, nearly colliding with other motorists along the way. Police also said they suspected the driver was intoxicated and believed the driver posed a danger to the public as the pursuit continued.
From Gaston County to a Charlotte Crash Site
The driver reportedly traveled north on I-85 from Gaston County into Mecklenburg County before crashing in Charlotte. The crash happened on Thomasboro Drive, just off the interstate, where the driver then ran from officers on foot rather than stop.
That decision didn't buy much time. Belmont Police K-9 Bandit found the driver hiding in the bed of a truck about half a mile from the crash site, and officers took the unidentified juvenile into custody shortly after.
A Similar Chase Ended the Same Way Months Earlier
It's not the first time a Belmont-to-Charlotte pursuit has ended with K-9 Bandit on the suspect's trail. In a separate incident reported in January, a man identified as Wofford L. Mathis was arrested after leading officers on a chase from Belmont into Charlotte, according to WYFF4. In that case, the driver also bailed out of the vehicle and ran, and Bandit tracked him for roughly 1.5 miles before he was caught on Sharyn Drive.
No details on the juvenile's age, identity, or any charges have been released in connection with Tuesday's crash, and it remains unclear who owned the stolen vehicle or when it was reported missing. Police have not said whether anyone was hurt beyond the collision with the telephone pole.
Part of a Broader Pattern Among Young Offenders
State figures offer some context on the kinds of offenses drawing young people into the juvenile justice system, even though they don't speak to this specific case. Per the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, juvenile complaints statewide rose 18 percent over a decade, from 29,542 in 2015 to 34,845 in 2025, with breaking or entering a motor vehicle among the top three delinquent offenses reported that year.
Separately, the same state agency has reported that motor-vehicle theft in North Carolina peaked in late 2023 and has been declining since. Neither dataset ties directly to Tuesday's chase, but both reflect the kind of offenses regional law enforcement continues to track closely.
