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Man steals Amazon delivery truck from Charlotte before crashing in Gaston County, police say – WSOC TV

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg police pursued an Amazon delivery truck that was driving erratically Thursday morning. It turned out the truck was stolen.

The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. on South Tryon Street near Pressley Road in southwest Charlotte. Watch a replay from Chopper 9 Skyzoom:

According to CMPD, officers were following a stolen Ford F-250 in west Charlotte after it sped away from a traffic stop. The driver and passenger then jumped out of the truck on Pressley Road, and the passenger was found hiding in a nearby dumpster.

The passenger was identified as 26-year-old Michael Watts, who had multiple arrest warrants in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties.

The driver of the pickup truck was identified as 28-year-old Devin Mitchell. Police said Mitchell ran out of the truck and stole an empty Amazon delivery truck while the Amazon employee was making deliveries.

The CMPD helicopter followed the Amazon truck and Chopper 9 Skyzoom gave chase.

The vehicle then continued to Gaston County, where the driver caused an accident. A few minutes later, police officers arrived and handcuffed Mitchell.

Bill Calbo lives just down the street from where the Amazon truck was parked, and the former New Yorker said he was surprised by the commotion.

“It was probably literally 200 yards from my house. In New York, we would have this problem more often, I wouldn’t have expected someone to be following someone here,” Calbo told Channel 9’s Hannah Goetz.

Calbo told Goetz he was working in his garage when police drove by his house and he was just glad the suspect stayed away.

“The only thing that was going through my mind was, ‘Please don’t come into my garage and try to hide with me,'” Calbo said.

Amazon told Channel 9 that its driver was fine and the company was grateful for the police’s quick response.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

VIDEO: “I can’t drive that”: What to do if you buy a car that turns out to be stolen?

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