Gastonia man accused of hitting woman with her own car during carjacking

GASTONIA, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – A 61-year-old Gastonia man is facing charges after police said he stole a woman’s car and then struck her with the vehicle as he fled, according to the Gastonia Police Department.

Police said officers heard a woman stream around 12:29 a.m. Tuesday morning while they were on patrol near the 2200 block of Union Road.

The officers checked the area and found an injured 40-year-old woman and her juvenile daughter in a nearby parking lot. She was taken to a nearby hospital.

Investigators said they determined that a man had stolen her vehicle and that he had hit her with it as he was fleeing the area.

Officers found the woman’s stolen car abandoned in a parking lot just down the road from the incident. A K9 officer and his partner found Marshal Lancaster nearby.

Lancaster was arrested and charged with motor vehicle theft and aggravated assault.