Mother Crashes into CATS Bus While on Drugs, Infant Son Ejected

On Friday afternoon, a woman was driving her car while under the influence of drugs and caused a car crash that ejected her 2 year-old son from the car.

According to CMPD, Meeyung Park was driving her 2001 Chrysler 300M north on South Tryon Street. At about 3:30 Friday afternoon, Park hit another car before running into a stopped CATS bus and then hitting the median. The accident occurred ner South Tryon's intersection with Kingman Drive, which is near I-77's interchange with Billy Graham Parkway.

During the accident, Park's son, Anthony Lucente, was ejected from the vehicle's back seat and sustained serious injuries. Lucente was in stable condition and is expected to recover. Along with Lucente, his mother and grandmother were transported to Carolinas Medical Center.

At the time of the crash, the CATS bus had seven passengers, one of which was taken to a local hospital. After an initial investigation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police determined that the child was not property fastened in his car seat. Police also determined that drugs and speed were factors in the accident.

Park is being charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, two felony counts of serious injury by vehicle, a child restraint violation, and failure to reduce speed.

The investigation into this accident is ongoing, and police have asked anyone with information on this incident to contact Detective R.C. Gormican directly by calling (704) 432-2169.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective R.C. Gormican at 704-432-2169.

Overnight Traffic Stop Produces 16 DWI's

Sixteen people were arrested for driving while intoxicated after Charlotte-Mecklenburg police conducted a traffic checkpoint Saturday night. The checkpoint was held on Park Road close to it's intersection with Kenilworth Avenue and Scott Avenue in south Charlotte.

Of the sixteen DWI arrests, four were under the legal drinking age of 21. There were also two drug charges and one stolen firearm charge. Fourteen people were caught driving with no license, while five were driving on a revoked license. In all, 58 charges were issued.

Checkpoints like this are critical to maintaining the integrity of our driving safety in the Charlotte area.

Thursday Night Traffic Stop Produces 11 Arrests, 117 Citations

Eleven people were put behind bars Thursday night as the result of a DWI checkpoint set up by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Of those 11 people, five were charged with driving while intoxicated.

The checkpoint started at 11:00 Thursday night on the 5200 block of North Sharon Amity Road, near its junction with East W.T. Harris Boulevard. It continued until about 3:00 Friday morning. CMPD handed out 117 citations as a result of the traffic stop, including 32 for driving while license revoked and 28 for driving without a license.

In addition to the DWI's and driving charges, there were two open container charges and five drug charges.

2 Injured After Premeditated I-485 Drag Race

Two people are injured and one arrested after a premeditated drag race led to a crash on I-485 last night. The vehicles involved were a white Mercedes-Benz and a minivan.

According to the N.C. Highway Patrol, the vehicles were traveling approximately 120 miles per hour when one of them, a minivan, flipped and caught on fire. Luckily, neither the driver nor the passenger or the minivan was seriously injured.

The minivan crashed on the ramp that runs from I-485's inner loop to the northbound lane of I-77. Authorities say the race stemmed from an argument at Ballantyne's Fox and Hound bar about which of the two vehicles was faster.

A N.C. State Trooper was assisting a motorist on the outer loop of I-485 when he saw the vehicles racing down the opposite lane of the interstate. That trooper found the wrecked minivan when he attempted to pursue the race. Eyewitness reports say that the minivan exploded on impact, creating a large fireball.

The minivan's driver faces charges including pre-arranged speed competition, travelling over 100 miles an hour in a 65 mile an hour zone, and driving while intoxicated. The other vehicle was not affected by the crash and never stopped.