2 charged with drag racing in Rock Hill after wrecking, flipping vehicles

Authorities say drag racing led to a car wreck in Rock Hill early Sunday morning on Saluda Road, where two men flipped their vehicles, injuring one driver and a passenger.

Two men have been charged in connection with the drag racing. Police records show that Rock Hill officers arrested Steven Nickalus Caldwell, age 22, and Jake Alexander Bobo, age 20.

Police accuse Bobo and Caldwell of racing each other around 1:30 a.m. on Saluda Road, toward downtown Rock Hill.

A witness saw the alleged drag racing and the wreck unfold, according to the police incident report. She told officers that she was behind the truck that Bobo was driving and the Nissan Infiniti that Caldwell was driving near the Roddey Park neighborhood.

The witness said that Caldwell was trying to pass Bobo’s truck when he clipped the truck’s rear, “causing both vehicles to barrel roll out of control,” according to the police report.

Both vehicles ran off the road and landed upside down, the report states.

Caldwell was injured when he was thrown from his car, police say. And, he’s accused of running away after the wreck.

The witness told officers that Bobo and a woman crawled out of his truck.

The woman – an 18-year-old from Tega Cay – initially lied to police and said she was driving Bobo’s truck, according to the report. Later, she told officers “she only lied to protect him,” the report states.

While officers and EMS workers were on scene treating the woman, Bobo is accused of pushing an officer while trying to check on the female passenger. Rock Hill Police have charged him with drag racing and resisting police, law enforcement records show.

Caldwell was later arrested at his sister’s house, police say. He’s been charged with drag racing and leaving the scene of an accident, records show.

This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 11:13 AM with the headline "2 charged with drag racing in Rock Hill after wrecking, flipping vehicles."