2 charged in fatal Concord hit-and-run

CONCORD, N.C. — Two people were arrested in connection with a deadly hit-and-run in Concord.

Channel 9’s Eli Brand was in court Wednesday morning in Cabarrus County, where Daniel Joseph Gomez-Clarke appeared virtually from jail before a judge for the first time.

Gomez-Clarke, 30, is charged in connection with the fatal crash and chase that occurred late Monday night along George Liles Parkway and Interstate 85. He is facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder, eluding arrest, and hit-and-run, killing an innocent driver.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 1 killed in Concord police chase crash; suspect at large

A woman was also arrested in connection with the incident. Maya Evans was charged with DWI and misdemeanor child abuse. The DA explained she helped Clarke escape the scene of the crash. They say she brought her child when she picked Gomez-Clarke up after the crime.

Then, officials say she later visited Gomez-Clarke in the hospital after he was in custody. The DA says she drove herself there drunk.

The chase began around 11 p.m. Troopers say they attempted to stop Gomez-Clarke, who was driving at 111 mph, but he fled the traffic stop, leading to a pursuit and crash that killed 40-year-old Calvin Costner.

Costner’s family expressed their grief, stating, “he was a father, a brother, and an uncle. He will be truly, truly missed.”

The Cabarrus County District Attorney’s Office said Gomez-Clarke admitted he had been drinking during the initial traffic stop.

Troopers say he ran into the woods after the crash, while they tried to help the victim. They later found Gomez-Clarke’s phone in his wrecked car with GPS directions set to a home in Kannapolis. They later found him there and arrested him.

The DA pointed out that Gomez-Clarke had a criminal history in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina. One of his most recent warrants came out of Mecklenburg County, where he was charged with a hit-and-run just last week.

Clarke is being held in the Cabarrus County Jail.

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