Gaston, SC (Paul Kirby) – Gaston police officers disrupted a burglary in the act at a local business Thursday morning. Officers caught several men in the act of taking expensive car parts off salvage automobiles at the business that auctions these vehicles for insurance companies.
According to Major Stephen Watkins of the Gaston Police Department, he was notified that something might be going on in the yard and immediately responded. Once he arrived, he found the pair removing the expensive vehicle parts for resale. A foot pursuit ensued and more officers from Gaston and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department responded. The men were dropping parts as they fled back toward the railroad tracks that run parallel to Highway 321 behind the salvage park. Eventually, Watkins lost sight of the men but he was able to locate their vehicle hidden in a break in the woods near Busbee Road alongside the tracks.
At some point, jurisdictional boundaries became an issue because the Town of Gaston only covers the railroad bed in much of that area. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department brought in K-9s and took over the hunt for the suspects.
At this point, law enforcement does have the suspects’ vehicle and are continuing to try and locate all those involved. The sheriff's department has released no further information regarding the crime.
