COLUMBIA, S.C. — One teen died, and five others were hospitalized following a police chase that ended in a major wreck.
David Jenkins has lived in the Plantation Club housing development for 20 years and has never seen such a horrifying incident occur on the property. He said he was sitting at home Friday night when he heard sirens following the nearby police chase.
"Well, I heard it, but usually they'll just come down and just go through and go to someone's home or something like that," he said. "But this time, I had heard quite a few of them. So, I figured something must have really taken place."
According to a statement from the Richland County Sheriff's Department,
"Just before midnight on July 14, deputies assisted south carolina highway patrol in the pursuit of a vehicle. SCHP stopped a jeep cherokee, which then fled from the traffic stop. The suspect's car reached speeds of 100 miles per hour before it crashed into the pond of the Chestnut Hill Plantation subdivision (near Lost Creek Drive and Boat Ramp Road) at 12:05 a.m. On July 15. The vehicle sank into the water."
Because the crash involved law enforcement agencies, it's being investigated by a third party, in this case - the Newberry Sheriff's Department.
"Richland county deputies immediately jumped in the water and began a rescue effort, they were able to get out five individuals," said Newberry County Sherrif Lee Foster. "They realized there was a sixth individual at that point, Richland County called in dive teams from the sheriff's office, city of Columbia fire and from Irmo."
That sixth individual was found dead Saturday morning, and the ages of those involved ranged between 14 and 18,
Foster said investigators found the car was not bumped or hit by law enforcement before the wreck. He said the agency's investigation will be handed over to the Richland County Sheriff's Department to finalize their report on the incident. A spokesperson for the sheriff's department said the Columbia Police Department would also be involved in the investigation.
On Saturday, Richland County sheriff's deputies were on the scene to pull the car out of the pond. Nearby residents also stopped to take pictures and look at the damage. Jenkins said he had a mix of emotions walking through the area where the car crashed.
"It's hard because if this was my child, I don't know...There are some heartbroken families today," he said.
Law enforcement has not identified any teens involved in the chase or crash. The Richland County Coroner's Office has not publicly released the name of the deceased teen.