A three-vehicle crash at Highway 221 and Bryant Road left a burglary suspect dead Friday afternoon and sent two other people to area hospitals with minor injuries. The collision followed a pursuit that began around 12:50 p.m. Highway 221 was temporarily closed while crews worked at the scene.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said deputies tried to stop a man wanted on burglary charges at about 12:50 p.m. Friday. The attempted stop became a pursuit that ended at Highway 221 and Bryant Road, where the suspect's vehicle collided with two other vehicles.
The suspect died at the scene. Two occupants of the other vehicles were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries, the sheriff's office said. Highway 221 was temporarily shut down afterward as crews worked at the scene.
Coroner Called to Scene
The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office was called to the scene, though it had not released further details on the cause of death as of Friday afternoon.
Details Not Yet Confirmed
The suspect's identity, the precise cause of death and whether any charges are pending had not been confirmed.
Pursuit crashes in context
A report from the Office of the New York State Attorney General, citing a 2017 DOJ analysis of national data, says an average of 355 people per year were killed in pursuit-related crashes from 1996 to 2015. That historical national figure is not specific to this crash, and the cited research does not establish whether South Carolina's Department of Public Safety publishes statewide pursuit figures.
In a separate South Carolina incident, the Lexington County Sheriff's Department said a Lexington man died in a single-car crash on April 14 after initiating a pursuit with a South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services officer. The reported crash involved one car, unlike the three-vehicle collision on Highway 221.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the Highway 221 crash. Further information is expected as officials continue to examine the circumstances.
