Stolen car went over 100 mph during chase in SC neighborhood before deadly crash, cops say
The driver who died in a crash after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase through a Midlands neighborhood was a wanted man who was in a stolen vehicle, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
An arrest warrant had been issued in Kershaw County for Christopher Eaddy, who also had multiple driving offenses, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Information about why Eaddy was wanted in Kershaw County was not available.
Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said the 37-year-old Eaddy died at the scene of Saturday’s crash. Eaddy, who was trying to escaped from law enforcement in a 2017 Nissan Altima, ran off U.S. 15 and crashed into a tree, according to Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Just four minutes before his death, Eaddy was pulled over by a Sumter County sheriff’s deputy who was making a routine traffic stop after noticing the vehicle Eaddy was driving had an expired license plate tag, according to the release.
Eaddy initially complied with the deputy, who pulled over the Nissan in the area near the intersection of U.S. 15/North Main Street and North Pike, the sheriff’s office said.
But when both a deputy and state constable got out of the patrol vehicle to speak to the driver, Eaddy told his passenger to get out because he was going to run from the deputy, according to the release. The passenger stepped out with his hands raised, and Eaddy drove away, the sheriff’s office said.
The state constable stayed with the passenger while the deputy returned to his patrol car and gave chase onto Bordeaux Avenue, according to the release. There was no word if the passenger faces any charges related to the incident.
Eaddy reached the end of Bordeaux Avenue and turned back the way he came toward North Pike, driving through a neighborhood yard to avoid the pursuing deputy, the sheriff’s office said.
Returning to North Pike, Eaddy turned on North Main Street at speeds that exceeded 100 mph, according to the release.
The deputy said he followed for less than 2 miles and saw Eaddy lose control of the stolen vehicle near the curve on North Main Street and Jefferson Road where the fatal crash occurred.
The chase and crash are being investigated by the Highway Patrol and coroner’s office. An autopsy was scheduled to be performed Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
“It is simply foolish to try to run from law enforcement,” Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in the release. “The driver chose to flee a routine traffic stop, ignore the lights and siren of a fully marked Sumter County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle, recklessly disregard traffic laws, and flee at a high rate of speed, which resulted in his death. Nothing is worth putting yourself and others in danger.”
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This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 12:25 PM.
