This beloved Richland deputy is leaving 'Live PD.' Here's why

A fan favorite on the police show "Live PD" has taken a promotion within the Richland County Sheriff's Department, ending his time on the show.

Senior Deputy Chris Mastrianni announced last week that he was promoted to investigator. His assignment in the criminal investigations division has not yet been determined, according to Lt. Curtis Wilson, spokesman for the sheriff's department.

"Couldn’t be more proud to work for @RCSD and am truly thankful for being promoted to Investigator," Mastrianni, a four-year veteran of the department, wrote in a tweet announcing the promotion. "I am very excited for this next chapter in my career."

The promotion means that Mastrianni, formerly of the department's community action team and a favorite of fans of the A&E documentary series "Live PD," will no longer appear on the show. Mastrianni's tweet has more than 4,000 "likes" and nearly 800 comments congratulating him while also lamenting his exit from the show.

"It's a possibility they may see him from time to time," Wilson said. "It's one of those things. it's a great move for him and speaks about his work ethic and what he's done with the department."

The rest of the show's favorites from Richland County, including Lt. Danny Brown, Senior Deputy Garo Brown, Deputy Kevin Lawrence and Sgt. Steven Tapler, will continue to appear on the series.

Mastrianni was a regular on the show since its October 2016 premier. The series follows several law enforcement agencies around the country with TV cameras during their patrols on Friday and Saturday nights.

The show's initial run of eight two-hour episodes was extended to 21 episodes because of its surging popularity and ratings, which eventually extended the first season to more than 60 episodes. The episodes themselves also were extended to three hours each.

Mastrianni, who was dubbed "Fastrianni" by the show's fans, saw his popularity hit new heights after the 50th episode aired last July. That episode followed the deputy's high-speed chase and arrest of a suspect who slung his 2-year-old daughter as a “shield” against Mastrianni after the chase ended in a crash off North Main Street.

The deputy melted hearts across the country when he was seen holding and comforting the toddler and handing her a stuffed animal from his patrol car.

“There’s no way to train for a situation like that,” Mastrianni told The State newspaper during an interview weeks later. “My first instinct was get that child away from him as quickly as possible.”

The show airs Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. on A&E.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 12:13 PM with the headline "This beloved Richland deputy is leaving 'Live PD.' Here's why."