Driver Charged After 3 Consecutive Hit-and-Run Crashes in Chapel Hill

A trio of hit-and-run crashes within minutes of each other Saturday night were due to the same driver, according to Chapel Hill Police.

The department shared a release on Saturday, saying officers arrested and charged 47-year-old Kelly McKeel for three counts of leaving the scene of a crash, driving while impaired and driving with an open container.

Chapel Hill Police reported the first crash around 7:05 p.m. The department’s investigation led them to find McKeel crashed into another vehicle along Homestead Road near Seawell School Road with his 2014 Ford F-150 truck before continuing to drive toward Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. After turning onto and driving south on the road, McKeel then crashed into two other vehicles without stopping: one near Municipal Drive and another near Estes Drive.

Saturday’s release said McKeel was ultimately stopped by officers once he reached Chapel Hill Police Headquarters on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Two people were injured from the hit-and-run crashes, according to police. Both were transported to UNC Hospitals on Saturday with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.

McKeel, who is listed as having a Graham address, was briefly taken to the Orange County Detention Center before being released on a written promise to appear in court. His first appearance on the hit-and-run and driving while impaired charges is scheduled for November 10.

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A trio of hit-and-run crashes within minutes of each other Saturday night were due to the same driver, according to Chapel Hill Police. The department shared a release on Saturday, saying officers arrested and charged 47-year-old Kelly McKeel for three counts of leaving the scene of a crash, driving while impaired and driving with an […]

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