Lexington, SC (Paul Kirby) – A suspect that initiated a pursuit early Saturday morning has been arrested after a futile attempt to flee from a SC State trooper ended with a crash near the Lake Murray dam. The chase ended at North Lake Drive and Andrew Corley Road when the trooper employed a Pursuit Intervention Technique or PIT maneuver that caused the fleeing suspect to lose control of his vehicle and crash.
The SCHP has not yet released any information on where the pursuit initiated or why the state trooper initially tried to stop the vehicle. We do know that when that trooper activated his warning devices, instead of pulling over, the suspect sped away.
Eventually, the two vehicles ended up on Corley Mill Road. The suspect turned onto Andrew Corley Road, but when he tried to turn onto North Lake Drive, the trooper's training came into play and he struck the suspect’s vehicle in its rear quarter panel initiating the PIT maneuver and causing the suspect to lose control and crash. The trooper was able to quickly take the suspect into custody.
The fire department was dispatched because the suspect's vehicle was smoking as if it were catching fire. The Irmo Fire District’s North Lake Fire Station arrived quickly and made sure the fire never developed. Lexington County’s EMS was dispatched after the offender requested that he be checked out. The EMS crew evaluated the suspect before turning him back over to the SCHP who then booked him into the Lexington County Detention Center.
The trooper's pursuit Dodge Charger received minor damage to its right front fender and push bar from the PIT maneuver and the trooper was not injured in the collision. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash because the trooper was involved. This is standard procedure.
We have asked the SCHP for additional information regarding what the suspect's name is and what he has been charged with. We have not yet received that information but will update this story once we have.
