Person killed, CMPD officers hurt in crash on I-485 exit ramp

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One person was killed and two others were hurt when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers investigating a stolen vehicle were hit by a passing motor home exiting Interstate 485 on Thursday, detectives said. 

The incident happened on the ramp from the outer loop of I-485 to Mount Holly Road around 10 a.m. CMPD closed the ramp to Exit 14 for the investigation, which involved multiple agencies. 

Two officers were investigating a report of a stolen car when they were hit by the passing motor home, CMPD said. One of the police cruisers rolled down an embankment, suffering heavy damage. One of the officers was pinned inside his cruiser and had to be extricated. A CMPD spokesperson said the officer was alert and in “good spirits” despite suffering some internal injuries. A second officer was taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to CMPD. 

The person who died in the crash was the person who had originally alerted police to the stolen vehicle, police said. The driver of the motor home was injured in the crash. It’s unclear if the driver of the motor home will face charges related to the crash. The Char-Meck Fraternal Order of Police shared a photo of the cruiser that rolled down the embankment on Facebook. 

During a news conference, CMPD said the person reporting the stolen vehicle called 911 after spotting the car near the exit ramp. It’s unclear how that person knew the car was in that location before calling CMPD. 

“He was in the process of speaking and giving information to the officers, and they’re off the side of the road on the shoulder, when the motorist exits 485 on the ramp and strikes both police cars and strikes that individual,” the spokesperson said. 

Officers escorted an ambulance to Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center after the crash. In addition to the crash scene, there was a large police presence at the hospital, which is Charlotte’s Level 1 trauma center and typically reserves high-priority, emergency patients.

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