An 18-year-old man was in county jail Tuesday accused of robbing a Kangaroo Express in northeast Charlotte. But it wasn’t the robbery that makes this story unique, but rather the manner in which the suspect was arrested.
According to CMPD, Lavarius Mattess Patterson was nabbed after he accidentally shot himself in the leg while running from the robbery scene and then checked himself into a Charlotte hospital seeking treatment.
Witnesses told police that a black male entered the Kangaroo Express in the 10000 block of N. Tryon Street around 2:14 a.m. and robbed the store at gunpoint. The suspect then ran in the direction of E. Mallard Creek Church Road.
As police were looking for the suspect, someone notified CMPD that they had heard a gunshot and saw a man limping away from the area.
Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy later called police after a male arrived at the emergency room with a gunshot wound to the leg. The patient’s description matched that of the robbery suspect, CMPD said.
Officers went to the hospital and identified Patterson as the person who robbed the store. He was charged with robbery with dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by convicted felon.
Patterson was booked in county jail after he was released from hospital.
