High-speed chase through multiple Midlands counties in stolen car lands teen in jail

It wasn’t a Merry Christmas for one South Carolina teenager who was arrested and charged after he allegedly stole a car and led law enforcement on a high speed chase.

Cortez J. Whitener, 18, was charged with failure to stop for a blue light, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle, malicious injury to real property, hit and run with property damage, driving under suspension and providing false information to police.

The incident occurred around 1 a.m. Christmas Day, according to the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, which said a deputy saw three vehicles speeding, two of which were later confirmed as being stolen.

The deputy pursued one of the cars, a Camaro, and attempted to stop it, the sheriff’s office said. The driver of the Camaro fled, wrecked and was later caught in Elgin after the sheriff’s office bloodhound team and a SLED helicopter located the two occupants.

At the same time another sheriff’s deputy pursued a second vehicle, a silver SUV, speeding toward Camden, where it collided with a Camden Police Department patrol vehicle that had responded to the pursuit, according to the sheriff’s office. The SUV then headed back into Lugoff where sheriff’s deputies continued the pursuit of the SUV which was confirmed to have been stolen from Richland County.

During the pursuit up Highway 34 into Fairfield County, the occupants threw items out of the SUV to damage pursuing patrol cars, the sheriff’s office said, adding speeds exceeded 100 mph as the chase entered Winnsboro.

Fairfield County deputies picked up the pursuit as the stolen SUV pulled into an apartment complex and three black males exited the vehicle and fled on foot, the sheriff’s office said. Whitener, the driver of the vehicle, continued to flee in the SUV with a sheriff’s deputy still pursuing.

In his attempt to flee, Whitener struck a sheriff’s office patrol car, causing minor damage, before driving off the road and fleeing on foot, according to the sheriff’s office. A sheriff’s deputy began a foot pursuit of Whitener and eventually took him into custody after having to deploy his Taser.

Following his arrest, Whitener provided deputies with a false name and date of birth indicating that he was only 16 years old, the sheriff’s office said. DMV records proved otherwise and he was detained as an adult.

Whitener was taken to the Kershaw County Detention Center where he remains pending a bond hearing. He has no previous arrest record.

“Christmas morning, normally a quiet time, kept KCSO deputies extremely busy this year,” said Sheriff Jim Matthews. “Deputies were involved in two pursuits of stolen vehicles and foot pursuits at the same time which resulted in lengthy bloodhound and SLED helicopter operations. Patrol cars from two agencies were damaged and three young men were taken into custody without anyone getting hurt. Job well done and for that I am very appreciative.”

This story was originally published December 26, 2017 at 3:17 PM with the headline "High-speed chase through multiple Midlands counties in stolen car lands teen in jail."