By Richard Walker
The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, SC)
ORANGEBURG, S.C. —A police chase involving an alleged stolen vehicle turned fatal Monday when a man drowned in a drainage ditch behind a Cannon Bridge Road business.
Law enforcement officials are still trying to identify the man they say ditched a stolen vehicle, ran from authorities and either fell or dove into a drainage ditch at C&R Auto Salvage around 2 p.m. Monday.
“The sheriff’s office gave pursuit to an individual that was supposedly in a stolen vehicle,” Sheriff Larry Williams said. “This individual was attempting to allude capture by this agency.”
Initial indications are the suspect bailed out of a vehicle on or near the C&R business before fleeing on foot to the back of the salvage property.
“It went from a vehicle chase to a foot chase,” Williams said. “During the foot chase, this individual dove into a body of water. It is my understanding that this individual is dead.”
With no identification on the man, investigators are attempting to determine who he is. Williams said once police learn the man’s name, they’ll look into any possible criminal history in an attempt to understand why an apparent non-swimmer entered a body of water.
Williams added that an investigation will be conducted to ensure the pursuing officers were within their legal parameters.
“That’s only fair to the officers and to this family,” he said.
First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe confirmed late Monday he has assigned as investigator to the case.
“He’s a former SLED agent,” Pascoe said. “He’ll do a thorough job.”
Officials say that at about 2 p.m. sheriff’s deputies spotted a vehicle believed to be stolen and attempted to stop the car. The vehicle chase ended when the subject drove to a point at or near C&R property. On foot, deputies began chasing the man, who ran toward the back of the company’s property.
Counter salesman Butch Davis said he was in the salvage yard when he received a radio call from the office that deputies were chasing a man. Davis said when he looked, he saw the subject walking toward him.
“When he seen me, he took off behind some cars,” Davis said. “I jumped out the cart and I told him to stop right where he was at.”
The subject picked up a brake rotor, Davis said, and threatened to throw it at him.
The man then took off running again with Davis attempting to cut him off on the opposite side of several drainage ditches on the back of the property. But the man had already entered the water-filled ditch.
“When I got to him, he was already in the water, going down,” Davis said.
At least one pursuing officer, Davis said, dove in right behind the man.
Moments later, parts specialists Scottie Champy and Sean Swan arrived at the water-filled ditch, which is estimated to be from 15 to 20 feet deep. The two employees dove in to try to rescue the man, who it appeared could not swim.
“We all dove in trying to save him,” Champy said. “But he’d done been down there a good five minutes.”
“I got about 15 feet down and I couldn’t take it any more,” Swan said.
At 2:14 p.m. the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety dive team was called out, initially for a rescue. Radio transmissions at 2:17 p.m. changed the mission from a rescue to a recovery.
“They already had a few deputies in the water,” said Capt. Thad Turner of the ODPS dive team.
“The water is real murky, visibility was low.”
Without waiting for an air tank to arrive, Turner dove into the water repeatedly. On the fourth dive, he found the man.
“He was probably in 12 to 18 feet of water,” Turner said. “I felt his leg and then felt his blue jeans.”
Turner brought the man to the surface about 10 feet from where he went in. The man was turned over to waiting EMS personnel, who then transported the man to the hospital.
But those on the scene felt the man had already expired.
“When they handed him up, his eyes were a milky color,” Champy said.
Williams said investigators will be working overtime in an attempt to identify the man and notify any family members of the incident.
Depending on the value of the vehicle, the man was facing from 30 days to 10 years in prison, if convicted.
“Bad situation,” Champy said. “I’d rather go to jail than drown, any day.”
Copyright 2008 The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, SC)