By Shavonne Potts

shavonne.potts@salisburypost.com

Police charged a Salisbury man after he took a trooper on a short vehicle chase, hit three parked vehicles and ran on foot from police.

Salisbury Police charged Damon Antoine Cotton Jr., 23, of the 500 block of East Liberty Street, with misdemeanor exceeding posted speed, misdemeanor hit and run property damage, felony fleeing to elude arrest, misdemeanor driving while license revoked, misdemeanor stop sign violation and misdemeanor expired inspection.

Cotton was driving a 2001 Nissan Maxima on Saturday at 2:55 a.m. when a trooper spotted him run through a stop sign at Monroe Street and Old Concord Road.

The driver sped up, the trooper said, and he lost sight of him when the driver blew through the intersection of Clay and East Innes streets going 80 mph, a report said.

The driver, later identified as Cotton, hit a street sign, then hit a 2003 Jaguar, 1997 Toyota Camry and a 2006 Toyota Camry, which were parked on the roadside. He did not stop, a report said, but continued driving.

Two men jumped from the vehicle and ran. Police officers, who’d taken over the chase from highway patrol, were searching for the suspects. Someone approached an officer and said the man they were looking for was standing watching at the corner of Liberty and Clay streets.

Cotton started to walk away, but officers caught up to him. He had fresh cuts to his hands and blood on his shirt. The vehicle he was driving began smoking and caught fire.

Cotton remains in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $5,000 secured bond. He was convicted in 2012 on three different occasions of misdemeanor driving while license revoked, as well as a single conviction of misdemeanor resist, obstruct, delay an officer. Cotton was convicted in 2011 of driving while license revoked on two separate occasions and misdemeanor motor vehicle violation.

Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.