2 men charged after Lexington County car chase

Two men were charged Thursday afternoon after leading local and county law enforcement authorities on a cross-county car chase, Gaston police said in a news release. Before all was said and done, a local citizen became involved, holding one of the men at gunpoint after he fled his vehicle on foot.

Driver of the pick-up truck that allegedly refused to stop for a blue light , Joseph A. Drafts, 42, was charged with failure to stop and driving with a suspended license. Passenger, Heirbrane W. Foster, 24, was charged with narcotics possession.

The chase began Thursday afternoon west of Gaston at the intersection of Meadowfield and Blackville Roads and ended about 7 miles away on the 2500 block of SC Highway 6. Lexington County deputies deployed “stop sticks” across SC-6 to stop the fleeing pickup.

After driving another two miles of flat tires, Drafts fled his truck on foot leaving Foster behind, police said.

Drafts was taken into custody “after a homeowner held him at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived,” the police said.

Both men were being held Thursday night at the Lexington County Detention Center.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 9:33 PM with the headline "2 men charged after Lexington County car chase."