Rock Hill driver jailed on drug, weapon charges after police chase

A man was jailed on weapon and drug charges after officers tried to pull him over for a window tint violation, according to Rock Hill Police.

Travis Daniel Smith, 28, of Rock Hill, was charged with possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence, unlawful carry, possession of a firearm with the serial number removed, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, failure to stop for blue lights and driving under suspension, according to jail records. He was placed in the Rock Hill city jail, where he remained Friday under $16,592 bond.

An officer initiated a traffic stop on a beige BMW about 10:40 a.m. Thursday because the tint in the vehicle’s windows was too dark, according to a police report. The driver, Smith, sped up and began driving recklessly to evade police. He pulled into a driveway on the 300 block of Lige Street and fled on foot.

Smith threw a black semi-automatic handgun over a fence into a backyard and was apprehended a short time later, police said. He had 7 grams of marijuana in his mouth, which an officer ordered him to spit out.

The serial number on the .380-caliber handgun Smith threw over the fence was scratched off, police said. Officers found a burnt marijuana blunt inside the car, and on the screen of Smith’s phone was a text message from a stored contact requesting marijuana.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Rock Hill driver jailed on drug, weapon charges after police chase."