1 dead after Midlands police chase ends in car crash

One person is dead after a police stop Thursday ended in a chase and a fiery crash, officials say.

At 8:30 p.m., an Aiken County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a vehicle on Sheraton Drive near Atomic Road in the Beech Island community. But when the deputy approached the car and asked for the driver’s information, the car sped away from the traffic stop, an incident report says.

The patrol car followed and less than a mile away found the car wrecked and in flames near the intersection of Sheraton and Old Jackson Highway, near the entrance to Aiken County’s Kimberly-Clark manufacturing plant.

Deputies responded to the scene pulled multiple occupants from the vehicle, one of whom died. Others were transported to a hospital for treatment to their injuries. Multiple firearms were also recovered from the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said in a media release.

The incident remains under investigation by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, S.C. Highway Patrol, and the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription