Police: 1 dead, 1 injured in crash during pursuit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — One person was killed and another was injured in a crash during a police pursuit involving a vehicle linked to an armed robbery on Tuesday, police in North Carolina said.

A license plate reader alerted Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers to the vehicle associated with an armed robbery and officers tried to stop it, police tweeted. The driver refused to pull over and officers pursued the vehicle since it was associated with a crime dangerous to life, police said.

Deputy Chief Jacquelyn Hulsey said the pursuit lasted 10 to 12 minutes, news outlets reported. The vehicle struck a deflation device police put down on West Boulevard and continued for a time until it crashed into a tree, she said. The driver died at the scene and the passenger, who was not seriously hurt, was taken to a hospital for treatment, Hulsey said.

The department’s major crash unit is investigating the crash, the armed robbery unit is investigating the crime that led to the pursuit and internal affairs is investigating to make sure officers followed policy, Hulsey said.