Stolen truck bursts into flames during deputy pursuit in South Carolina. Man arrested

A Texas man was arrested after speeding in a stolen pickup truck on a South Carolina highway before the engine burst into flames, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

A deputy who was patrolling Interstate 95 in the morning of June 25 noticed a pickup truck driving above the speed limit heading north. The deputy’s radar registered his speed at 94 mph, the sheriff’s office said.

The deputy pursued the truck whose driver was “driving recklessly,” including passing other vehicles on the shoulder of the road. During the chase, the truck’s engine burst into flames and sprayed fuel on the deputy’s car. The truck then drove off the road near mile marker 140 and crashed into a fence line beside the interstate.

The deputy ran to the vehicle to rescue the man and take him into custody, but another deputy who had arrived at the scene saw the man running away along the fence line, then darting across the highway and into a wooded area.

More deputies and K-9 teams arrived and began searching for the man. They found him hiding in a ditch, where he was taken into custody.

Donald Edward Reed Jr., 33, of Prairie Grove, Texas, was charged with failure to stop for a blue light, speeding 30 mph over the speed limit and striking fixtures on or near the highway. The Sumter sheriff’s office identified him as a “violent offender” and a “threat to law enforcement.”

Further investigation revealed that the truck had been stolen from a Colleton County resident.

Reed refused emergency medical services on the scene but was taken to the hospital to be examined. He was then taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, where he is being held for the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.

Alexa Jurado

The State

Alexa Jurado is a news reporter for The State covering Lexington County and Richland County schools. She previously wrote about the University of South Carolina and contributes to this coverage. A Chicago suburbs native, Alexa graduated from Marquette University and previously wrote for publications in Illinois and Wisconsin. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Milwaukee Press Club and the South Carolina Press Association.