A 20-year-old Spartanburg man is accused of turning a weekday afternoon into a rolling crime spree, leading deputies on a three-hour, multi-county chase on Wednesday while allegedly cycling through five stolen vehicles. Investigators say the string of rides included two cars, a dually pickup hauling a trailer and tractor, a utility terrain vehicle and a dirt bike. The pursuit only ended after officers used tire-deflation devices, K-9 teams and, finally, a Taser. The suspect ran on foot before being captured, was cleared at Rutherford Regional Medical Center and is expected to be booked on charges in multiple jurisdictions.
How the pursuit began
The North Carolina Highway Patrol says troopers clocked a white Ford on U.S. 221 near Harris Henrietta Road around midday and tried to stop it, but the driver took off instead, triggering a multi-county response. According to WYFF, deputies soon learned the Ford had been reported stolen in Spartanburg County, S.C., and the driver bailed out into a nearby solar farm. Authorities say he then swiped a UTV to keep going as the pursuit pushed south toward the state line.
Vehicles taken along the route
Officials identified the suspect as Austin Shane Tucker and say the vehicle-swapping did not stop with the UTV. They report he later ditched that for a dirt bike and then a dually truck pulling a trailer loaded with a tractor, among other vehicles allegedly taken during the chase. FOX Carolina reports the pursuit crossed into Chesnee and Cherokee counties in South Carolina before looping back into Rutherford and Polk counties in North Carolina. Viewer video shared with the station shows parts of the chase snaking through small towns along Highway 221.
How deputies stopped him
Spartanburg and Rutherford deputies said K-9 teams and tactical deployments helped box in the suspect after he crashed into woodlines and bolted through swampy areas, trying to shake law enforcement on foot. Polk County deputies ultimately used a Taser to bring him into custody, officials told WYFF. Authorities say no civilians or law enforcement personnel were injured during the hours-long pursuit. Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg told WYFF, "In my 26-plus years in law enforcement, I haven't seen anything like this."
Charges and what comes next
Prosecutors in Rutherford County have filed a long list of charges that includes five counts of felony flee or elude with a motor vehicle, three counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, felony larceny of a motor vehicle and multiple related traffic offenses. They also say deputies deployed stop-sticks to puncture tires during the pursuit, according to The Charlotte Observer. Tucker, 20, is expected to be booked in Rutherford County and will also face charges in Polk County, N.C., and Cherokee and Spartanburg counties in S.C., officials said.
