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Charlotte man sentenced after South End carjacking leads to police chase

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man has been sentenced nearly two years after an armed carjacking in south Charlotte led to a police chase.

According to police, at around 10 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2020, 21-year-old Ricky Bush and Jontez McLeod ordered a woman out of her car at gunpoint on Doggett Street in South End. The pair then got into her car and pulled off, leaving her in the parking lot.

The victim was not hurt.

Two hours later, police got a hit on the stolen Hyundai Santa Fe from a license plate reader. They tried to make a traffic stop, but McLeod took off and officers followed.

A short time later, the chase ended near Green Street and Hovis Road in west Charlotte, more than seven miles away from where the car was stolen.

Authorities arrested McLeod and charged him with robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, felony flee to elude and several other charges stemming from his reckless behavior while fleeing from police.

McLeod has prior charges for robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and several felony drug-related offenses, police said.

Bush was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon.

In 2019, Bush was charged in Mecklenburg County for numerous robberies and also with assault with a deadly weapon, according to CMPD.

According to investigators, on Nov. 12, 2020, Bush pleaded guilty to carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

On Sept. 28, he was sentenced to 78 months in prison. He was also ordered to serve three years under court supervision after completing his prison term and to pay restitution to the victim of the carjacking.

McLeod has also pleaded guilty for his role in the case and will be sentenced at a later date.

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(WATCH: Woman assaulted, breaks leg during southeast Charlotte carjacking, CMPD says)