Lexington County manhunt ends for man accused of escaping ambulance, stealing truck

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday night that deputies arrested a man accused of escaping custody while in an ambulance and stealing a pickup truck, leading the agency on an hourslong manhunt.

Daniel Hill III is accused of escaping, leading to an hourslong search for him in the area of Sunset Boulevard and Leaphart Road near West Columbia, the sheriff’s office said. Hill is also accused of stealing a 2005 Ford F350 pickup truck, deputies said.

The sheriff’s office said there was a gun inside the truck Hill allegedly stole.

Tweets from the department said deputies located Hill at a home off of Lawrence Drive, where Hill was arrested Wednesday night.

The sheriff’s department told The State deputies were initially serving Hill multiple warrants for drug-related charges along with resisting arrest and failure to stop for a blue lights.

“There was some resistance during (Wednesday’s) arrest,” spokesman Capt. Adam Myrick said.

Hill’s “physical encounter with deputies” was the reason he was being taken to the hospital to make sure he did not suffer any injuries and was OK to be booked into the Lexington County Detention Center, according to Myrick.

During that transfer, Hill, who was handcuffed and wore shackles, broke free, Myrick said.

No first responders were hurt during Hill’s arrest and escape, and no other injuries have been reported, according to Myrick.

Multiple Lexington County schools, including River Bluff High School, were on lockdown because of the search.

This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 2:52 PM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription