Man dies after crashing dirt bike while evading Wilmington police

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A man has died after he crashed his dirt bike while trying to get away from police in Wilmington over the weekend.

The Wilmington Police Department says Curtis Wheeler, 38, was stopped by an officer for riding his dirt bike on the sidewalk around 5 p.m. on Saturday.

“He fled heading north on 10th Street (on the road, not the sidewalk), where he collided with a vehicle making a left turn onto Orange Street and went airborne,” a news release stated. “The vehicle’s occupants were not injured. Wheeler was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Police say Wheeler was speeding prior to the crash, but the WPD officer was not pursuing him.

No charges are expected.