Pelion, SC (Paul Kirby) – An employee of Pelion Family Practice on Pine Street in Pelion said Tuesday that they had a real-life version of COPS play out right in front of their office. According to that employee, a traffic stop by law enforcement turned into a brief escape, a short foot pursuit, and a recapture of the suspect who foolishly thought he could get away while handcuffed.
She said that it’s not uncommon to see either the Pelion Police Department or the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department have someone pulled over around their office or that community. However, It did shock the staff of the office who were watching when the suspect pulled away from the deputy and tried to make an escape. The man's apprehension wasn't very difficult given that the deputy had already placed him in cuffs when he detained him!
According to Vonda Chavis, the staff member at the doctor's, a deputy stopped a vehicle in the office parking lot. At some point, the deputy found something out of place because he detain the man. The suspect then jerked himself free of the deputies grip and fled. Chavis said the guy ran across Hwy. 302 (Pine Street) toward the opposite side of the busy highway and the deputy was chasing him! She said that he was trying to run but still had the handcuffs on. Chavis said the staff was worried about why the man had run and wanted to know if he had been recaptured.
According to Captain Adam Myrick, a spokesman for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, a suspect did pull away from a deputy and tried to run away after a traffic stop in that area Tuesday. Their deputy gave chase and the man was taken into custody quickly about 100 yards away at a nearby home.
Representative Kit Spires who works at Hawthorne, formerly Big S Drugs right next to the doctor’s office, said the escape created quite a commotion for the little town of Pelion. Spires said he did know they recaptured the man, but it was a lot of commotion for the sleepy little Lexington County town.
