A driver on an unregistered ATV outran Beaufort County deputies in a roughly 2.5-mile chase across St. Helena Island. As of last week, no one had been arrested. But the man isn’t completely off the hook, despite his apparent escape. He is still very much being looked for.
The ATV took off from a convenience store parking lot on Sea Island Parkway on the night of May 12. A deputy tried to stop it after noticing it had no license plate. The driver didn’t stop. Instead, he had something a little different in mind.
The man took off and sped away on his ATV away from the grasp of police. He’s now part of an open case the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has not yet been able to close. With police hot on his trail, it looks like that could be changing soon if there’s enough evidence.
Investigators have a description of the driver. They do not have a name, however. And, as of last week, they did not have the ATV either. It’s unclear how this case will end up.
How the Chase Began
According to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the encounter began the night of May 12 outside the Parker’s Kitchen convenience store at 856 Sea Island Parkway on St. Helena Island.
A deputy observed the driver revving the ATV’s engine and speeding away from the lot. After spotting that the vehicle had no license plate, the deputy tried to pull it over. The ATV failed to stop for the deputy’s blue lights and headed east toward Fripp Island.
A second patrol vehicle joined the pursuit, the report says. A deputy noted the ATV was being driven on the wrong side of the highway. About half a mile down Sea Island Parkway, near St. Helena Elementary School, the ATV jumped the curb and briefly drove through the grass before returning to the road.
Deputies lost sight of the vehicle after the ATV turned onto Reunion Road and then Kiwi Lane, and ended the pursuit. The chase covered about 2.5 miles in total.
What Police Are Doing Now
Officers returned to the Parker’s Kitchen, where they obtained a description of the suspect from a witness. However, the incident report says no person of interest was identified. As of last Friday, the driver hasn’t been identified or arrested, according to Lt. Daniel Allen, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Allen said deputies didn’t locate the ATV in the area where the chase ended. He also noted that suspects sometimes abandon their vehicles along the road after a police pursuit. The search is continuing for the suspect’s vehicle, though there’s no additional information floating around to help with the search at this time.