Officers capture man who allegedly dragged a Richland deputy

Richland County sheriff’s deputies just after 1 p.m. captured the fugitive they were chasing Saturday morning in northeast Richland County after he allegedly dragged a deputy Thursday.

Christopher Doctor was arrested without incident after an intense manhunt that involved K-9s and a helicopter in the Hardscrabble and Farrow roads area, according to the sheriff’s department.

Doctor was surrounded at Hardscrabble and William Harden roads and arrested, Sheriff Leon Lott said.

Doctor, 43, was wanted for attempted murder after he allegedly dragged a deputy during a traffic stop Thursday. The deputy was not injured, Lott said Friday. Doctor was sought for attempted murder, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, failure to stop for blue lights, and resisting arrest.

Deputies looked for Doctor on Thursday and Friday and considered him a danger to the community even though they didn’t know if he was armed, Lott said.

But at 5 a.m. Saturday, Doctor stole a vehicle in the Broad River Road area of northwestern Richland County, Lott said — the other side of the county from where he was captured.

Doctor fled, failing to stop for lights and siren, and eventually wrecked on Farrow Road, close to Hardscrabble.

He fled the scene on foot and was chased down and apprehended after an extensive search by deputies, K-9 units and members of the Community Action and Special Response teams, Lott said.

On Thursday around noon, a sheriff’s deputy tried to pull Doctor over for a traffic stop while responding to a report of erratic driving on Ballenton Road in northeast Richland County, Lott said.

Doctor allegedly fled at a high rate of speed, driving over private yards and crashing his gold Ford Ranger through fences.

He stopped briefly on Hardscrabble Road off North Brickyard Road long enough for a deputy to approach and reach in the window in an attempt to turn off the ignition, Lott said. But Doctor took off again, dragging the deputy a few yards before he broke free.

Lott said Friday that Doctor already was wanted on three warrants for burglary, larceny, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He said Doctor was also wanted by the United States Marshal’s Office and has a lengthy criminal history.

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Officers capture man who allegedly dragged a Richland deputy."