Teens led chase in Richland County where shots were fired at deputies, SC sheriff says
Two teenagers ”on a crime wave” were arrested on multiple charges Sunday after leading deputies on a chase where shots were fired, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
The pair of 15-year-olds each were charged with one count of attempted murder. John Doe No. 1 also was charged with first-degree burglary, possession of stolen vehicle and failure to stop for blue lights, while John Doe No. 2 was charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a handgun under 18 and possession of a sawed-off rifle, Sheriff Leon Lott said Monday during a news conference.
“This is not the first time that they’ve dealt with the criminal justice system,” Lott said. “I’m not going to call them kids. They’re making grown-up decisions, doing grown-up things and trying to take somebody’s life.”
At about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, deputies tried to pull over what they said was a stolen vehicle that was driven by one of the teens on Winnsboro Road, according to the release. That’s in the Blythewood area of Richland County.
The driver ignored the attempted traffic stop and led deputies on a chase, the sheriff’s department said. That’s when the passenger in the vehicle leading the pursuit began shooting at deputies, according to the release.
Another deputy shot at the teens as they drove by and was able to disable the vehicle using spike strips, the sheriff’s department said.
The teens then ran away from the vehicle but were taken into custody after deputies set up a perimeter, according to the release. Two guns were recovered and both teens were taken to a South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice facility, the sheriff’s department said. Lott said while he believes the weapons were stolen, investigators have yet to determine who the guns belong to.
“They’re two 15-year-olds that were on a crime wave,” Lott said. “They just were not going to stop until they got stopped by us.”
Both teens, one from Rock Hill and the other from Lexington, have previously been arrested multiple times on weapon charges and probation violations, officials said. Both juveniles were on probation before Sunday’s incident, Lott said.
The sheriff’s department said no deputies were hurt, and no other injuries were reported.
“Only by the grace of God, I’m standing here talking about them being arrested and not saying something about a deputy being killed, because it’s not that they didn’t try to kill a deputy, they did.
“I would just hope that whenever they go to court, that whoever passes judgment on them will look at those two guns and determine just how dangerous they were,” Lott said.
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This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Teens led chase in Richland County where shots were fired at deputies, SC sheriff says."
