FRANKLIN, N.C. — A woman suspected of shoplifting at a local Ingles Supermarket died Thursday night after fleeing from police and crashing her vehicle during a pursuit, according to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident began at approximately 10:16 p.m., when officers from the Franklin Police Department responded to a report of shoplifting at the supermarket on Georgia Road. While speaking with the suspect in the parking lot, officers detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside her vehicle. When they attempted to investigate further, the suspect locked the vehicle doors and refused to comply with commands to open them.
The woman then fled the scene in her vehicle, prompting a pursuit involving Franklin Police and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. The chase continued onto Georgia Road and eventually onto Wide Horizon Drive, where the suspect lost control of the vehicle, veered off the roadway, and struck a tree.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the collision.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The high-speed chase ended tragically after a suspected shoplifting call escalated into a fatal crash.