2 men killed in Carrboro crash after fleeing hit-and-run-wreck in Chapel Hill, police say
Carrboro police are investigating after two men were killed in a car crash while apparently fleeing from police, officials said Tuesday.
Jonathan Lynn Blancett, 43, of Durham and Lawrence Richard Edwards, 43, of Chapel Hill died in the crash on Monday afternoon, according to a Carrboro Police Department news release. Edwards was driving at the time of the crash, police said.
The men weren’t wearing seatbelts, and speed appears to have been a factor in the crash, according to the release. Toxicology results for both men are pending.
Edwards allegedly fled from police after striking another vehicle near Fordham Boulevard and Erwin Road, according to a spokesperson for the town of Chapel Hill. No one was injured in that crash, the spokesperson said.
A witness to the initial crash called 911 at 4:52 p.m. Monday to report it, then followed the vehicle and gave updates on its location, the release stated.
A Chapel Hill police officer saw the vehicle at the intersection of Estes Drive and Greensboro Street and tried to stop it, but the driver kept going, turning from Greensboro Street onto Oak Avenue, the Chapel Hill spokesperson said. The officer ended the pursuit on Oak Avenue at Merritt Street, he said.
The car crashed shortly after that on Oak and East Poplar avenues in Carrboro, police said.
No one else was injured in the incident, according to the release.
The Carrboro and Chapel Hill police departments are working with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to investigate, Carrboro police said.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 11:21 AM.
