Police say driver distracted by GPS in crash involving CMPD car

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer in a marked police car was involved in a wreck Saturday on East Sixth Street, according to a news release. Police said the driver of the car that hit the cruiser was distracted by her GPS unit.

Officers said around 12:56 p.m. Officer Thornell Little was driving on the ramp from Interstate 277 entering East Sixth Street. He entered the intersection of Sixth Street and North McDowell Street.

Little's police vehicle was hit on the left front corner by a 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport in the intersection.

Jamie Aigner was traveling in the left lane on N. McDowell Street approaching the intersection of East Sixth Street and admitted to being distracted by her GPS unit. When she returned her attention to the road she stated that she entered into the intersection while her traffic signal displayed a red light.

Aigner failed to stop for the red traffic signal and the front of her vehicle hit the left front corner of the marked police car.

As a result of the crash, the police vehicle was pushed into a Nissan Frontier that was stopped at the red light. The driver of the Nissan Frontier was Nathan Parker El and the rear middle passenger was a 3-year-old child. The front right of the police vehicle struck the left front of the Nissan Frontier.

Parker El and the child were not injured as a result of the crash.

Little was taken to a hospital by MEDIC with non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the crash. Aigner refused medical treatment at the scene of the crash. Aigner was cited for failing to stop for the red light.

WSOC