Cayce, SC (Paul Kirby) – A City of Cayce Department of Public Safety officer was led on a pursuit early Monday that ended in Chapin. Cayce officers eventually arrested one man and questioned a woman who was a passenger in the car before later releasing her.
A corporal with the Cayce DPS was on routine patrol in the city just before 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. At one point, the corporal observed a green Kia Soul that had a license sticker that was expired. The corporal had Cayce’s Dispatch Center run the tag through the DMV and it was reported stolen off a Chevrolet van from a local church. The corporal activated his patrol vehicle’s warning devices but instead of stopping, the vehicle turned into the parking lot of a restaurant, circled the building, got back onto Charleston Highway and fled, initiating the pursuit.
The Kia and the pursuing officer turned onto I-26 headed west toward Greenville. Another officer joined in and began calling the details of the pursuit on his radio as the corporal concentrated on staying with the speeding car. At one point, the officers were coordinating with other agencies in areas along the I26 corridor to see if they could deploy tire deflation sticks to stop the fleeing Kia. Before this could be set up, the driver of the Kia took Exit 91 at Chapin. At this point, the car had traveled about 25 miles with the Cayce officers close behind.
The driver of the car made it through most of the loop at the exit but right at Columbia Avenue the driver lost control, ran off the road, and crashed into a wooded area. The well-trained officers were able to come to a controlled stop and exit their cruisers. At this point the passenger whose door was jammed against a tree stayed put. The driver still had a little steam left. He tried to flee on foot, but a Cayce officer quickly ran him down and placed him into custody.
Both the driver and the female passenger were transported to Lexington Medical Center to be checked out. The driver was transported to the Lexington County Detention Center. The female was released after it was discovered she had committed no crime.
Robert Shawn Cunningham, II was booked on multiple charges including Failure to Stop for Blue Lights, Driving Under Suspension, and Possession of Stolen Property (the license tag). According to Cunningham’s extensive criminal record, he has either had prior charges of, or charges pending for murder, drugs, and armed robbery. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the end of the pursuit crash. Cayce’s officers never collided with anything, but standard operating procedures dictates that the SC Highway Patrol investigate crash following a pursuit.
As of 11:45 a.m. on Monday, June 29, 2020, Cunningham was still in the detention center awaiting a bond hearing.
