Caught stealing from Lowe's, suspects lead high-speed chase before wrecking on I-20

Two people have been hospitalized and a third is in custody Monday after a high-speed chase as they attempted to flee a Richland County Sheriff's deputy after they were seen shoplifting from Lowe’s Home Improvement store.

The incident began just before noon at the Lowe's at 7441 Two Notch Road, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Department.

Employees notified a deputy about two suspects inside the store attempting to steal items. When approached by the deputy, the two suspects abandoned the items and got into a truck where a third suspect was behind the wheel, the sheriff's department said.

The suspects they took off at a high rate of speed, driving recklessly out of the parking lot while ignoring the deputy who used blue lights and sirens in an attempt to get the driver to pull over, the sheriff's department said.

The chase ended on I-20 westbound, where the driver intentionally tried to drive through the fence on the interstate just before the Monticello exit, according to the sheriff's department.

Two male suspects were taken to an area hospital, one for observation while the other suspect's condition is unknown. A female suspect was taken to the sheriff's department headquarters.

The identity of the suspects has not been released by the sheriff's department.

It was further discovered that the truck the suspects were driving was stolen out of Berkley County; the truck had additional stolen items inside it from other locations, according to the sheriff's department.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Caught stealing from Lowe's, suspects lead high-speed chase before wrecking on I-20."