CHARLOTTE — Tyler Harding was seen raising his hands as Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers arrested him after an hours-long pursuit Wednesday, but he appeared tired at his first court appearance Friday when a judge increased his bond to a total of nearly $1 million .
Harding has been charged with multiple felonies after driving recklessly through Charlotte and eluding officers on Wednesday. Helicopter 9 Skyzoom remained overhead as it weaved in and out of traffic, stole new getaway vehicles and then eventually rammed a stolen SUV into a truck, ending the pursuit.
We first reported that Harding was being held on bonds initially totaling $115,000 on Thursday, but that amount was significantly increased on Friday. Channel 9 obtained exclusive video of Friday’s hearing after filing a request for court records.
>> CMPD has released a series of events during the high-speed chase through Charlotte Wednesday. Click on the timeline below.
The courtroom hearing was almost as tense as the chase itself. Harding appeared live on camera from the Mecklenburg County Detention Center as the judge read his charges.
Judge Donald Cureton began breaking down Harding’s bond amount, increasing bonds on some of the charges to $250,000 each. The new amount: $800,000.
“Oh, screw that,” Harding told the judge. He stood up from his seat and seemed to move away from the camera frame. He then returned to the seat and told Judge Cureton: “No. I’ll let you finish.
The judge replied, “Wait. behave One thing you will not do is give me permission to do anything. I already have this.
Harding also asked the judge an unusual question, saying: “Is it a crime to lie during this trial or is it a crime to lie during any of these trials?”
No one responded to the suspect, but he was told his statements were being recorded and told not to say anything more until he spoke to an attorney.
Before the hearing ended, Harding stood up and made a statement about an incident that occurred during the chase.
“Hey, why would you be trying to get someone out of a wrecked vehicle?” Harding said. “Why would you be trying to extricate someone from a crashed vehicle? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Harding appeared to be talking about the moment Chopper 9 Skyzoom caught him crashing head-on into a car in south Charlotte. Moments after the crash, he pulled the driver out of the mangled car. We have since learned that the woman is seven months pregnant but is doing well.
WATCH: Chopper 9 Skyzoom is LIVE above a vehicle driving recklessly across North and South Carolina. New video shows the driver stealing another car in the pursuit that lasted about an hour and a half. LIVE UPDATES –> pic.twitter.com/NIj2OdKHHY
— WSOCTV (@wsoctv) July 6, 2022
According to court documents obtained by Channel 9, Harding is wanted for eluding police in a vehicle in Bastrop County, Texas. As of Friday, he was still being held in Mecklenburg County but could be extradited to South Carolina to face charges of possession of a stolen vehicle.
Harding’s next court date is July 11.
Check out Channel 9’s coverage of the chase with the following stories:
(WATCH BELOW: Suspect in Charlotte chase identified, faces multiple felony charges)
The suspect in the Charlotte chase has been identified and faces multiple felony charges
©2022 Cox Media Group
Add Comment