Midlands man who led SC law enforcement on chase arrested after woman killed in crash
A Midlands woman was killed when a man fleeing from law enforcement officers crashed head-on into her vehicle on New Year’s Day, the Sumter County Coroner’s Office said.
Tonya Mayo-Reed, a 55-year-old Sumter resident, died in the Jan. 1 accident, Coroner Robbie Baker said in a news release.
Mayo-Reed was not involved in the pursuit that began in Clarendon County and continued into Sumter County, the coroner’s office told The State Tuesday.
The two-vehicle collision happened at about noon in an eastbound lane of U.S. 378/Myrtle Beach Highway at the intersection with Simpson Road, according to the coroner’s office. That’s about 15 miles from the Clarendon County line.
Mayo-Reed died at the scene, the coroner’s office said.
An autopsy is scheduled for later this week at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Tywene Senclara Brown is the man who led Clarendon County deputies and South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers on a chase, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said. Brown was hurt in the crash and was taken to an area hospital, according to the coroner’s office.
Clarendon County Sheriff Tim Baxley said the incident began when one of his deputies saw a silver Chevrolet Traverse traveling at a high rate of speed while driving west on U.S. 378 in the Turbeville area, clocking the vehicle going 79 mph.
When the deputy attempted to make a traffic stop, Brown accelerated to an even higher speed, Baxley said.
The deputy then notified dispatch that the vehicle was not stopping and notified Sumter County that the vehicle was traveling in their direction, according to Baxley.
As the pursuit entered Sumter County, a Highway Patrol trooper joined the chase, Baxley said.
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said one of his deputies tried to help stop the speeding vehicle, but Brown evaded the Sumter County deputy by entering the center grass median dividing east and westbound lanes on U.S. 378. When Brown’s vehicle crossed over into the eastbound lane it hit the vehicle where Mayo-Reed was a passenger, according to Dennis.
While Mayo-Reed was killed, the driver of her vehicle suffered serious bodily injury, Dennis said. Further information on that driver’s condition was not available.
Brown received medical treatment, and when he was cleared he was taken to the Clarendon County jail before being transferred to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, according to Dennis. Brown remained behind bars awaiting a bond hearing that was scheduled for Wednesday. There was no word if any bond was set.
He’s facing charges in Clarendon and Sumter counties. In Clarendon County, Brown was charged with failure to stop for blue lights, driving under the influence, and driving under suspension.
In Sumter County, Brown was charged with reckless vehicular homicide, failure to stop for blue lights resulting in a fatality, and failure to stop for blue lights resulting in great bodily injury.
While the crash happened about 50 miles east of Columbia, it is being investigated by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department along with the coroner’s office, according to the release. The coroner’s office explained that because the Highway Patrol was involved in the chase, it wanted to avoid a conflict of interest and asked another law enforcement agency to lead that portion of the investigation. While it occurred in the jurisdiction of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Dennis asked colleagues in Richland County if they would take charge of investigating the crash.
The incident that led to the chase, along with the pursuit, are being investigated by the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and the Highway Patrol, according to the coroner’s office.
This was the first fatal collision of the year in Sumter County, according to the coroner’s office. At least 28 people died in Sumter County crashes in 2022, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety reported.
One of those people died on Jan. 1, 2022, the coroner’s office said.
More than 1,015 people died in crashes across South Carolina last year, DPS reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 11:11 AM.
