Woman takes toddler, puppy on high-speed chase that ends in fiery crash — and a rescue, cops say
A toddler, a man and a puppy were rescued from a fiery car wreck, and a South Carolina woman was arrested after a high-speed chase Wednesday, authorities said.
The car caught fire shortly after Shanqunek Shirlena Fleming lost control of the sedan as she attempted to speed away from Charleston County sheriff's deputies and then crashed into trees on the side of a McClellanville road, counton2.com reported.
The 26-year-old Charleston woman started the high-speed pursuit around 10:30 p.m., when she ignored sheriff's deputies as they attempted to pull her over for an equipment violation on Highway 17, according to live5news.com.
After crashing, Fleming exited the car and was handcuffed by the sheriff's deputies who were in pursuit. The front of the car then caught fire, postandcourier.com reported.
Deputies saw there was unresponsive man in the passenger seat, and a toddler as well as a puppy were in the back seat, according to counton2.com. But as the fire grew, deputies realized there was no easy way to access the car and get the occupants out.
"Deputies were unable to access the driver’s side due to trees, while the rear passenger’s door was jammed shut," sheriff's officials told live5news.com. "Deputies attempted to shatter the rear windows with a baton, but were unsuccessful."
Capt. Roger Antonio said the man in the passenger seat eventually woke up and was able to open the door, and deputies pulled him out, postandcourier.com reported.
At this point, the fire was spreading rapidly toward the back of the car, and deputies climbed inside the burning vehicle to save the toddler and puppy at nearly the last moment, postandcourier.com reported.
"The last deputy jumped out and by then, it's engulfed," Antonio told the website.
Despite the high-speed crash and burning car, the child was not injured and was placed in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, according to live5news.com.
This story was originally published May 10, 2018 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Woman takes toddler, puppy on high-speed chase that ends in fiery crash — and a rescue, cops say."