Police Chase Leads to Crash in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Suspect Flees
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC-Wspa.comwrites that police are searching for a suspect after officers chased a stolen vehicle that then crashed into an embankment. Troopers reported that an officer attempted to stop the vehicle on US-221 at Stillhouse Road in the late evening. The car had an improper tag.*
The driver did not stop the vehicle, which turned out to be stolen. The officers pursued the vehicle, and a few minutes later, the driver veered off Blackstock Road where it struck the embankment. The driver exited the damaged vehicle and fled the scene on foot. Police were unable to apprehend the fleeing driver.
Police chases are highly controversial. In many cases, police pursue suspects in high-speed chases that end in fatal crashes. These chases are extremely dangerous and kill hundreds of people every year across the country. The most likely victim is the person who fled the police. However, in many cases, the person killed is an innocent bystander who is hit by the fleeing vehicle or the police car.
The tragic deaths caused by police chases often end up puzzling the public when, in many cases, the suspects turned out to only have been involved in minor and non-violent crimes. Specifically, the risks associated with police pursuits are often not worth the chase. As such, many police departments have strict rules for when an officer may pursue a suspect. It is often better to let the person go and arrest them at a later time without the seriously dangerous chase.
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Sources:https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/10/19/death-toll-keeps-rising-from-police-chases/ and https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/troopers-looking-for-suspect-after-chase-crash-in-spartanburg-co/