Sumter man charged after police chase ending in crash at intersection

A Sumter man was charged after evading a traffic stop Friday night, Aug. 30, and crashing his vehicle in an intersection during a police chase, ending with his passenger being ejected from their vehicle and airlifted to a hospital.

The 47-year-old man of Council Street failed to stop for blue lights at 8:27 p.m. Friday after officers recognized the vehicle that was identified in an ongoing metal theft investigation, according to Tonyia McGirt, public information officer with Sumter Police Department. Officers chased the vehicle, and the driver lost control of the SUV, which rolled over and crashed in the intersection of Alice Drive and Wesmark Boulevard. The driver's passenger was ejected from the vehicle and found severely injured, while the driver ran from the scene, according to a news release.

The female passenger, who is 56 and formerly from Florida, was airlifted to a hospital in Columbia and remains in critical condition.

The Sumter man was found in a wooded area near Meadow Circle after an extensive search by city and county deputies, according to McGirt, and was taken into custody. He was treated for minor injuries and charged by Sumter Police Department with driving under suspension, failure to stop for blue lights involving an accident with great bodily injury, and he also faces a felony charge by South Carolina Highway Patrol of driving under the influence. His blood-alcohol content analysis results were pending as of Saturday evening, Aug. 31. He has been booked at the county detention center.

S.C. Highway Patrol and its Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team are investigating the crash, according to McGirt.