Cayce, SC 09/24/2022 (Paul Kirby) – One man is dead after fleeing from Cayce police officers very early Saturday morning. According to City of Cayce's spokesperson Ashley Hunter, the fleeing suspect died from a fall.
Hunter said at approximately 1:30 a.m. on September 24, 2022, an officer with the Cayce Police Department noticed a vehicle occupied by two individuals at Guignard Park. The park is located at the intersection of Axtell and Knox Abbott Drives. This is with a few blocks of the Congaree River and the Blossom Street Bridge with its quick access to the City of Columbia. There is signage prominently posted at the park that states the park is closed after dark.
As the Cayce officer approached the vehicle by foot, the suspect fled the scene in his vehicle. The suspect continued driving at a high rate of speed and crossed the bridge into Columbia. The suspect lost control of his vehicle and was involved in a single car collision at the Columbia Convention Center. He then fled on foot leaving the injured passenger in the crashed vehicle. Officers did not engage in a foot chase because they were attending to the passenger in the car who was injured after the collision.
While fleeing on foot, the suspect climbed to and then fell from the top of the upper-level balcony at the Convention Center to a lower level. He died on the scene after the fall. The suspect was wanted on nonextradition warrant in Georgia.
Cayce Police Chief, Chris Cowan, stated, “Our officer responded in accordance with his training by calling for additional officers and first checking on the other individual from the single car accident. There was no foot chase initiated.”
Cayce police and the City of Columbia police assisted the passenger of the vehicle in seeking medical attention. Additional information about the suspect will be released from the Richland County Coroner’s Office.
