Two people were killed in west Charlotte on Saturday evening, October 24, when an SUV turning left out of a driveway failed to yield to an approaching Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Moores Chapel Road, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), whose account was reported by FreightWire and by Biker Dad TV.
Source: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department via FreightWire
The crash happened at about 6:34 p.m. in the 10600 block of Moores Chapel Road, near Sam Wilson Road. Police said the motorcycle's rider, Rodney Ewing Quinn, 66, attempted to stop, but the Harley struck the left front corner of the Honda Pilot SUV, fell onto its side, and both Quinn and his passenger, Dana Asbill Osborne, 63, were thrown into the roadway. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the SUV driver, Jose Carlos Salas-Tzompaxtle, 36, showed signs of impairment after the crash and was arrested. He was charged with two counts of felony death by motor vehicle and cited for driving without an operator's license. Police have not said whether a chemical test confirmed impairment, and the charges are allegations that have not been proven in court.
Source: Biker Dad TV (CMPD account)
Mecklenburg County court records show Salas-Tzompaxtle is being held on a $1 million bond, and that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer against him on Sunday, October 25, adding a federal immigration component to the criminal case, FreightWire reported from the court records.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said. The West Mecklenburg Fire Department expressed condolences to the victims' families after the crash.