Weeks after K9 died in the line of duty, man who dog chased is arrested, SC sheriff says

A man was arrested on multiple charges weeks after he led a foot chase where a police dog was killed in the line of duty, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department .

Although Thomas Taylor is not facing any crimes for the June 20 death of K9 Wick , the 44-year-old was charged with first-degree burglary, grand larceny and failure to stop for blue lights, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

Taylor was taken into custody Monday after being tracked down by members of the sheriff’s department’s fugitive task force at an apartment complex in 100 block of Ripplemeyer Avenue , according to the release. That’s in Columbia, between Two Notch Road and Farrow Road.

Information about how deputies discovered Taylor was at the apartment complex was not available.

He was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, and remains behind bars after bond was set at $35,000 on the combined charges , jail records show.

Taylor initially escaped from law enforcement officers following a chase where Wick was hit by a vehicle on Interstate 77.

The chase

The incident began at about 1 a.m. on June 20, when deputies identified a stolen vehicle at Windsor Lake Boulevard and Brookfield Road , according to the sheriff’s department.

The deputies tried to pull over the vehicle but the driver — later identified as Taylor — refused to stop, leading to a pursuit on I-77, the sheriff’s department said.

At the second mile marker on I-77, deputies used stop sticks and the vehicle came to a halt, but Taylor then ran away, according to the sheriff’s department.

With Taylor still in sight, K9 Specialist Zaid Abdullah deployed Wick, the sheriff’s department said. Abdullah and Wick were in pursuit when the 3-year-old Belgian Malinois’ leash broke, according to the sheriff’s department. Wick pulled away from Abdullah and continued across the northbound side of I-77, where he was struck by a vehicle, the sheriff’s department said.

Wick, who had been with the sheriff’s department for a year and a half, died at the scene, according to the sheriff’s department.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Wick was identified and South Carolina Highway Patrol will lead an investigation into the collision, the sheriff’s department said.

Memorial

There was a funeral procession for Wick on June 20 that included a nearly 10-mile long procession .

A memorial service was held for Wick Tuesday morning at Riverland Hills Baptist Church on Lake Murray Boulevard.

“As the Richland County Sheriff’s Department mourns the loss of K9 Wick, we thank the community for their support,” the sheriff’s department said in June.

Prior to Wick’s death, the sheriff’s department had a K9 unit with 26 dogs and their handlers, making it one of the largest law enforcement K9 units in South Carolina .

The sheriff’s department’s team has two dogs to detect explosives; five to detect human remains; and one to detect electronics, which is commonly used in child pornography cases. The rest of the dogs are full-service, which means they are trained in multiple skills, including tracking, apprehension, article search and narcotics detection, The State previously reported.