CMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit is investigating excessive force allegations following the circulation of a video that appears to show an officer punching a suspect, identified as 26-year-old Malcolm Glenn Elliot II, while he's being held down by other officers. The video was shot Tuesday morning at Sardis Place at Matthews apartment complex, where Elliot was arrested after eluding officers in a stolen vehicle. Officers had originally been notified that a car was driving erratically on Independence Drive and was involved in a hit-and-run. A state trooper pursued Elliot and the chase ended at the apartment complex, where a witness was able to record the arrest. Responding to the video, CMPD stated that Elliot was resisting being restrained and handcuffed by officers, and that he was struck in the back to help gain compliance. (WSOC Staff)
Two people were reported to have jumped into highway traffic from bridges above. The first incident occurred on Interstate 77, where an unidentified person jumped off of the W.T. Harris Boulevard overpass at around 9 a.m. and struck a vehicle traveling on the southbound side. Medics responding to the scene pronounced the jumper dead, but information on the condition of the struck driver was not provided in initial reports. (Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer) CORRECTION and UPDATE: The original version of today's Lunch Break stated that a second man died after jumping from the North Tryon overpass onto I-485. According to a release from the CMPD's University Division, that man did not die, and was alert and conscious on arrival of first responders.
Traffic on Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood was shut down this morning after an accident involving a school bus. The bus was transporting 40 students to Merry Oaks Elementary when it was rear-ended by a white pick-up truck. The bus showed minimal damage to the rear bumper, but the truck appeared totaled and the roads were temporarily blocked while it was towed away. The truck’s driver and one student were evaluated by medics on the scene, but no serious injuries were reported. (WSOC Staff)
Seven-year-old Bryson McSweeney of Lancaster County reportedly died early this morning after sustaining critical injuries when he was struck by a car while riding his bike last night. The second-grader was riding his bike near the Glen Laurel Subdivision and reports indicate that he collided with the corner of a Honda Accord after pedaling through a stop sign without braking. The boy was transported by helicopter to a Charlotte hospital, where he died hours later. McSweeney’s school, Harrisburg Elementary, is providing grief counseling for students following the news. (WBTV Web Staff)