Man accused of stealing tires from cars at CLT is driver who died in chase – WSOC TV

CHARLOTTE – The man accused of stealing tires at Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the same man who was killed in a police chase last week, investigators say.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they found three BMWs with their driver's side wheels and tires removed between August 18 and 20 on Old Dowd Road and Josh Birmingham Parkway, both near the airport.

An American Airlines pilot told Channel 9 after his car's wheels were stolen that he was concerned about burglaries and crime in Charlotte Douglas.

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Then on August 22, police officers attempted to stop a speeding car whose driver was not wearing a seatbelt. The driver, later identified as 33-year-old Alexander Komthongpane, refused to stop and lost control of his car. He veered off the road and crashed into a tree near the intersection of Fred D. Alexander Boulevard and Freedom Drive.

A witness told Channel 9 that the car quickly burst into flames.

Police performed CPR on the driver, but it was too late. They said Komthongpane died at the scene.

CMPD detectives determined that Komthongpane was also the suspect in the auto parts thefts. They found that the wheels of Komthongpane's car had been stolen from the cars at the airport.

Komthongpane was already known to CMPD as he had been involved in several cases of catalytic converter thefts and car thefts throughout Charlotte, they said.

(PREVIOUS WATCH: 'It was tragic': After chase, police pull man from fiery car crash in west Charlotte)

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