Man tried to ram cars on the wrong side of highway in high-speed chase, SC cops say
A high speed chase reached speeds of more than 100 mph and led deputies through three South Carolina counties, police say, according to WYFF. The chase ended as the suspect drove the wrong way on a highway in Spartanburg County and ran head-on into another car, the station reports.
The chase started in Union County just before 4 p.m. Wednesday after deputies got a tip that Christopher Turner, who was wanted on several charges, was outside a business, Union County Sheriff David Taylor said, WSPA reports.
“Three deputies responded to the area to verify that it was Turner, and when he saw the deputy cruisers, Turner took off in his car,” WSPA writes.
Deputies chased Turner through Union, Cherokee and Spartanburg counties before he crashed, the station said.
“Turner attempted to wreck on-coming vehicles by running them off the road,” Fox Carolina writes. The sheriff told the station, “Once Turner entered into Spartanburg County, he drove his vehicle across the highway and proceeded north in the south bound lane of on-coming traffic placing innocent lives at danger.”
Turner reached the top of a hill on a highway in Spartanburg and crashed head-on with another car as he went over a hill, Fox Carolina reports.
The driver of the other car went to the hospital with injuries, but is expected to make a full recovery, the Union Daily Times reports.
Taylor continued to drive the car, described as “much damaged” after the crash before eventually pulling over and running into the woods, Fox Carolina reports.
Deputies, with help from search dogs and a helicopter looked for Turner, but didn’t catch up with him until after they called off the search, the Daily Times reports.
Shortly after police called off the search, a person called 911 to say someone matching Turner’s description was in a neighborhood nearby, the newspaper reports.
Spartanburg sheriff’s deputies found Turner and arrested him at about 9 p.m., Fox Carolina reports.
Jail records show Turner faces 11 new charges after the chase. He was already wanted on three counts of unlawful carrying of a pistol and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to the Daily Times.
