Charlotte suspect caught after police chase prompts Rock Hill schools to lock doors
A police chase of a murder suspect that started Thursday afternoon in North Carolina ended in South Carolina with the suspect in custody and prompted locked doors at three Rock Hill schools, officials said.
There was heavy police presence, including a Charlotte police helicopter, late Monday afternoon around Interstate 77 and Firetower Road south of Rock Hill near Rock Hill High School, officials said.
Campus doors at Rock Hill High, Castle Heights Middle and Independence Elementary were locked, Rock Hill schools said in a statement. All students and staff were kept inside as law enforcement pursued and caught the subject in the woods near I-77, according to York County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Rock Hill school district officials. School business went on as normal while doors were locked, said Lindsay Machak, spokesperson for Rock Hill schools.
Rock Hill school district officials said they notified parents of students at all three schools. The locked doors situation was lifted when the subject was caught, officials said.
The suspect, Ernest Ali Santiago, 49, of Charlotte, was wanted in connection with a homicide on Long Grass Court earlier Monday afternoon, CMPD reported. A woman identified as Paula Michelle Henson, 47, died after being shot several times, CMPD said in a statement. Santiago fled in a car into York County, CMPD officials said.
After the initial car and helicopter pursuit ended in woods near I-77 — close to the Rock Hill city limits — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police pursued Santiago on foot , said Trent Faris, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
Santiago was caught and remains in the York County jail on South Carolina charges of being a fugitive, failure to stop for a blue light, and reckless driving, court records show. North Carolina authorities have begun extradition against Santiago for a charge of murder, according to CMPD.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 5:20 PM.
