Low-speed chase in Charleston County ends in apparent suicide, deputies say

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – One person is dead following a low-speed chase in Charleston County this week.

Officers with the Charleston Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a driver who had outstanding warrants while traveling in the Grand Oaks neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon.

Law enforcement officials said the driver refused to stop and kept driving at a normal speed as officers followed.

Charleston County deputies joined the pursuit after it crossed into the county’s jurisdiction near Highway 17 and Highway 162.

Officials said the vehicle traveled down Highway 17 at about 40 miles per hour. It eventually ended on Highway 17 just past Parkers Ferry Road in Adams Run.

“Upon stopping, the driver proceeded to harm themselves in what would appear to be a suicide. EMS and fire crews responded, pronouncing the driver dead at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the circumstances surrounding the apparent suicide. The agency’s Office of Professional Standards is investigating the pursuit.

The victim’s name will be released by the coroner’s office when appropriate.

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