A 21- and 19-year-old were killed when car leading police chase crashed, SC officials say
Two people died and another was injured after a car fleeing police crashed early Monday morning, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Makiya Alford, a 21-year-old West Columbia resident, and 19-year-old Columbia resident Keyona Bryant were the people who were killed, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Tuesday.
Just after 3 a.m., a 2019 Honda SUV was driving on Mallet Hill Road just north of Columbia while trying to elude law enforcement when it swerved off the road and struck a tree, a fire hydrant and a fence, Master Trooper Brandon Bolt said.
Information about why law enforcement was pursuing the car was not available.
The car, Bolt said, had three occupants. The driver was injured and was taken to a local hospital by EMS. Alford and Bryant were passengers.
Further information on the driver’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported in the wreck that continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is also involved in the investigation of the events that led to the chase.
There was no word if any of the people in the crash were wearing seat belts.
Mallet Hill Road is in the WildeWood community near Polo Road Park.
Over the weekend, another chase left one person dead after a car carrying six teenagers crashed into a pond in a suburban Columbia neighborhood. According to law enforcement, they allegedly fled a traffic stop by the Highway Patrol and reached speeds exceeding 100 mph.
Through Sunday, 516 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least 30 people have died in Richland County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 67 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
This story was originally published July 17, 2023 at 2:44 PM.
