SALISBURY — Deputies are investigating after they said that a vehicle led them on a chase ended when the vehicle crashed and the occupants fled on foot.

The incident began at approximately 3:20 a.m. on Tuesday, when a deputy noticed a Kia Optima, originally traveling at approximately 65 mph along Interstate 85, slow down to approximately 60 mph as it approached the deputy’s vehicle, said Captain Mark McDaniel, public information officer for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputy then got behind the vehicle and followed it as it took the Webb Road exit and to the Old Concord Road and Webb Road intersection, where he entered the license plate and discovered the Kia had been reported as stolen out of Gastonia, said McDaniel. The deputy reportedly followed the Kia onto Peach Orchard Road while confirming that the car was stolen with communications. 

On Peach Orchard Road, the deputy turned on his lights and siren in an attempt to stop the Kia, at which point the driver turned onto Vineyard Drive and sped up to 70 mph while traveling through a residential neighborhood, McDaniel said. The driver allegedly continued to attempt to flee by returning to the interstate and exiting multiple times, driving approximately 130 mph while on the interstate.

Eventually, the driver exited onto Old Beatty Ford Road and ended up at the intersection of Lane Street and Collins Street in Kannapolis, McDaniel said. The driver allegedly turned onto Collins Street, out of sight of the deputy, and drove until they crashed the car by driving off of the end of the dead end road.
The deputies reportedly located the vehicle, which had become stuck in the mud in the backyard of a residence. A neighbor of the residence said that they had seen two people get out of the car and run away but was unable to provide a description, McDaniel said.

Deputies reportedly searched the vehicle and found a cell phone, five pounds of marijuana and a North Carolina driver’s license that they believe could belong to a suspect.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the incident, McDaniel said.