CHARLOTTE — The 18-year-old accused of leading police on a 90-mile chase from Charlotte into South Carolina is no stranger to law enforcement.
[ READ MORE: 18-year-old faces extradition after carjacking and multi-state chase ]
Police said Zyvarius Webber was behind an armed carjacking that sparked Wednesday’s pursuit. Records show he was also arrested in July in connection with a stolen vehicle case in Charlotte, where the victim said Webber has not been held accountable.
Webber is accused of leading police on a chase Wednesday afternoon that began near Atando Avenue and North Graham Street and continued along Interstate 85. Police arrested Webber in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, where he was booked into jail.
Detectives said the pursuit began after an armed carjacking. Witnesses reported hearing gunfire.
‘Creature of habit’
Channel 9 crime reporter Hunter Sáenz spoke with a man who said Webber stole and totaled his car in July.
The victim said he was not surprised to learn Webber had been arrested again.
“It doesn’t seem like he’s learning his lesson,” Delquan Moore told Sáenz by phone.
According to police, Webber was arrested in July after allegedly stealing Moore’s car from a north Charlotte apartment complex.
The vehicle was later totaled at the intersection of Eastway Drive and East Sugar Creek Road as police attempted to pull him over.
“You see, this person is a creature of habit,” Moore said. “This was not just a one-off situation where someone thought, ‘Oh, I need a car, so I’m going to steal one and drive off into the sunset.’ It’s more like, ‘No, I do this for a living, or I do this every day.’”
Moore said he would like to see officials hold Webber accountable.
“I think it’s a bunch of BS,” Moore said.
That case is essentially on hold for now.
Once the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office gathers sufficient evidence, prosecutors can present the case to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Webber was also arrested last year on rape and kidnapping charges, but those charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Pursuit policies
Channel 9 has investigated police pursuit policies for years.
Experts say officers should pursue only suspects accused of violent crimes or those who pose an imminent threat to public safety.
CMPD policy requires probable cause that a driver committed a crime dangerous to life before officers can initiate a pursuit.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol’s policy places speeding drivers in the same higher-priority category as violent offenders when determining whether a pursuit is justified.