Man killed in crash tried to escape cops investigating drag racing in West Columbia
A Midlands man died in a car crash after a chase where he was pursued by law enforcement officers investigating street drag racing in West Columbia.
The crash happened at about 11 p.m. Monday in the 4300 block of the 12th Street Extension, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release. That’s in between the Amazon Distribution Center and Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp., and less than four miles from the junction of Interstate 26 and Interstate 77.
South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers responded to calls of people gathering in the 12th Street Extension for drag races, Master Trooper David Jones told The State. That area, near Old Wire Road, is known to be the site of street races, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said.
When a trooper attempted to make a traffic stop, several vehicles drove off, including a 2016 Dodge Challenger that ran over the grass before heading down the wrong side of the road, it said in an incident report from the sheriff’s department. A chase started, according to Jones.
The trooper pursued the Challenger for about two miles in a chase that lasted less than two minutes before losing sight of the two-door car, Jones said.
Information on the Dodge’s speed during the chase was not available.
During the search for the Charger, the trooper saw a lot of dust and debris at a curve in the road before finding a small fire in the woods that was the crashed vehicle, according to the incident report.
After losing control of the vehicle, crossing the median and running off the road before crashing into several trees, Quinton J. Nunn was killed, Fisher said. The 26-year-old Blythewood resident died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office.
Nunn was not wearing a seat belt when the collision occurred, Fisher said.
This was not the first time he violated traffic laws.
In January, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of speeding 10 miles or less over the limit, after being ticketed for speeding more than 15 but less than 25 mph over the limit, Lexington County court records show. Nunn was fined $76.88 for the charge.
In 2017, Nunn was fined $25 for a seat belt violation, according to court records.
Through Tuesday, 271 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety. Of those deaths, 191 of the victims had access to seat belts, and 104 were not wearing safety restraints.
Information on any other people being arrested for participating in the street drag racing was not available, but the crash is still under investigation by the sheriff’s department.
“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Nunn,” Fisher said.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 10:02 AM.
