Officers arrived around 5 p.m. to Target on Cox Road after someone reported a theft at the store.
Police tried to stop the suspect's car in the Target parking lot, but the driver, 38-year-old Thomas Kirkland, escaped and drove the wrong way on East Franklin Boulevard.
Most lanes on 1500 Block E Franklin Ave in Gastonia closed after crash @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/arabCfg91H
— Elsa Gillis (@ElsaWSOC9) July 23, 2016
Kirkland then crashed head-on into a Dodge Avenger at an intersection. Kirkland's passenger, Deborah Patterson, 62, died in the crash.
Kirkland faces multiple charges, including misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, felony flee to elude arrest and felony larceny.
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