Father Who Abducted Girl Injures 4 In Crashes After I-77 Chase

CHARLOTTE, NC — A man on the run from police after he reportedly abducted his 3-year-old daughter Sunday in nearby Gaston County sent four others — including his child — to the hospital Sunday afternoon after his speeding car crashed into two vehicles. His daughter, Destiny Boykins, was in the front seat of his vehicle at the time of the crashes and not in a car seat, but was wearing a seat belt, according to Charlotte police.

An Amber Alert was issued Sunday for the missing 3-year-old and authorities said at the time the girl might have been headed to Charlotte with 57-year-old Maurice Knox after she was taken from an apartment near East Hudson Boulevard and Wexford Court in Gastonia.

Gastonia is about 18 miles west of Charlotte.

The two were last seen heading north from the 2000 block of East Hudson Boulevard and could be heading to the 2700 block of Wingate Avenue in Charlotte.

On Sunday afternoon, WSOC and WFMY reported that the girl had been found safe. WSOC reported that U.S. Marshals took Knox into custody after a crash near Remount Road and Toomey Avenue in Charlotte.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, deputies with the US Marshall Service spotted Knox’s Nissan Altima and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Knox refused, and the police chase continued into Charlotte along Interstate 77.

Knox exited the interstate onto Remount Road, where he struck a Ford Fusion driven by Celeste Griffin-Churchill. The Nissan driven by Knox and the Ford then struck a Dodge Challenger driven by Christopher Funderburk.

Griffin-Churchill, Funderburk, a passenger in the Dodge, as well and Knox and his daughter were all taken to the hospital with injuries.

Griffin-Churchill was listed as having serious but non-life threatening injuries. The victims in the Dodge were listed as having minor injuries and were released from the hospital. Knox and his daughter reportedly had non-life threatening injuries.

According to CMPD, Knox was impaired at the time of the crash and faces the following charges upon his release from the hospital: three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of felony serious injury by motor vehicle, felony flee to elude a law enforcement officer, felony child abuse/neglect and reckless driving. He also faces multiple warrants in Gaston County related to the original kidnapping incident, CMPD said.

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Photo courtesy of Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office