4 sports cars stolen from Clayton lot, suspects stole Kia to get there

A 17-year-old will face charges after a blue Camaro crashed into a power pole Monday. It was one of four sports cars that were stolen from a car auction lot about seven miles away, according to police.

The Johnston County Sheriff's Office said employees from Insurance Auto, a car auction site at 60 Sadisco Road in Clayton, witnessed four people steal four cars – a blue Chevrolet Corvette, a blue Chevrolet Camaro, a black Dodge Challenger and a green Dodge Charger.

According to the sheriff's office, a 17-year-old drove the Camaro – with the hood up – away from the auction site and broke through a fence.

A deputy began chasing the driver on Wilsons Mills Road. Sheriff's office spokesperson Jeff Caldwell said the 17-year-old crashed into a power pole at the intersection of U.S. Highway 70 and ran out of the car on foot.

The driver was found hiding in the woods.

According to the sheriff's office, juvenile petitions will be secured against the 17-year-old from Charlotte, who is facing a large number of charges.

The State Highway Patrol recovered another vehicle, a blue Corvette, on U.S. Highway 421 in Chatham County when they spotted the driver speeding 111 mph in a 60 mph zone. A chase ensured before the driver jumped and ran from the vehicle near U.S. Highway 64 in Siler City.

Troopers and K-9 handlers searched the area but could not find the driver, described as a Black man in his early 20s with black hair and dreadlocks wearing a red hoodie. A school and Walmart in the area were temporarily on lockdown.

Caldwell told WRAL News the Challenger and Charger were not located, but the sheriff's office recovered a Kia stolen from Charlotte, the car the suspects used to drive to the Clayton lot.

The westbound lanes of U.S. 70 were closed near Wilsons Mills Road in Johnston County for hours Monday but reopened around 3 p.m.