Lexington man fights deputy and steals patrol vehicle before crashing on I-20, SC cops say

A South Carolina man was charged with multiple crimes Monday after he fought with a deputy, stole a patrol vehicle and led a chase before crashing on Interstate 20, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department .

Kevin Romero, a 22-year-old Lexington resident, was charged with grand larceny, failure to stop for blue lights and reckless driving , the sheriff’s department said Tuesday night in a news release.

“A deputy responded to a call about a civil dispute Monday night in the 3400 block of Augusta Road ,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release. “Romero had a bat in his hand and eventually dropped it after numerous commands from the deputy.”

Romero, who was wanted by at least two Midlands law enforcement agencies, continued to put his hands in his pockets, and told the deputy he had a knife in his pocket, according to the release.

“The deputy was able to get the knife out of Romero’s pocket and put it on the ground,” Koon said. “As the deputy was trying to detain Romero, he started to resist and disregard commands. The deputy called for backup as they continued to struggle.”

The fight moved to the deputy’s patrol vehicle and Romero eventually made his way to the driver’s seat, which is where the deputy attempted to deploy his Taser, according to the release.

“Once Romero was in the vehicle, he shifted it into drive, drove away and initiated a pursuit ,” Koon said. “A passerby offered to help the deputy and they trailed Romero in the passerby’s car for a while before meeting up with a second deputy.”

Other patrol units followed Romero until he crashed on a section of I-20 in Aiken County , near the 5 mile marker, the sheriff’s department said. That’s close to the Georgia state line, more than 50 miles from where the initial incident happened.

Following the crash, Romero was arrested and taken to the Lexington County Detention Center, according to the release.

Bond was set at $70,440 on the combined charges, jail records show.

“He’s still in jail with more charges expected against him in the coming days,” Koon said.

In addition to the sheriff’s department, members of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division , South Carolina Highway Patrol , Georgia State Patrol, Lexington Police Department, Batesburg-Leesville Police Department, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and North Augusta Department of Public Safety were involved in the pursuit.

“This situation ended peacefully and without anybody getting hurt because a lot of agencies worked together,” Koon said. “All (of the other agencies) coordinated with us, responded and monitored the incident to ensure a safe outcome.”

There were two other incidents Tuesday where on-duty deputies from Midlands sheriff’s departments were injured in incidents that involved vehicles.

Richland County crash

At about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, a Richland County Sheriff’s Department deputy was injured in a collision while responding to an emergency call . As the deputy drove through the intersection of Shop and Atlas roads, another driver hit the passenger-side of the patrol vehicle, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department .

The deputy was taken to an area hospital, the sheriff’s department said. Further information on the deputy’s condition was not available.

The other driver involved in the wreck “appeared to be OK,” and remained at the scene, according to the sheriff’s department.

Lexington County deputy run over

Hours later, another Lexington County deputy was injured when run over by a man trying to avoid being arrested.

At about 4 p.m., a man went to the sheriff’s department to complete court ordered registration as a sex offender where it was discovered that he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, the Lexington Police Department said.

When approached by deputies, the man ran to a car where he struggled with the law enforcement officers as they attempted to take him into custody, before he backed up the car and drove over a deputy as he fled from the parking lot, police said.

The deputy was taken to an area hospital, but police said his injuries are not believed to be life threatening. Further information on the deputy’s condition was not available.

Later Tuesday night, the man was tracked down at a home in Blythewood and was arrested on multiple charges, police said.