NEWBERRY COUNTY — One suspect was apprehended, while two are still being sought, after the three suspects fled after an attempted traffic stop from S.C. 121 on Monday.
Isaiah Montrice Robert Johnson, 18, of 2303 Johnstone Street, Newberry, was charged with resisting arrest and littering Monday following his arrest by the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office.
Monday’s search centered on Oxner Road, just off S.C. 219, a SLED helicopter and bloodhounds were utilized during the search. A deputy attempted to stop a Honda vehicle, which was reported exceeding 100 mph on S.C. 121, near I-26. The suspect vehicle entered I-26 East pursued by the deputy.
During the pursuit, NCSO said items were being thrown out of the suspect vehicle. One item, believed to have been a handgun — according to Sheriff Lee Foster, struck the patrol vehicle, cracking the windscreen. The suspects exited I-26 and turned onto Oxner Road where the three suspects abandoned the vehicle. The suspects were pursued on foot through the woods by deputies and a State Transport Police Officer.
Johnson was subsequently captured by a deputy.
Foster said they have tentatively identified the other two suspects, and based on the bloodhounds tracking the suspects, they believe they got a ride out of town. At the time of the search, the remaining two suspects were described as black males, shirtless and wearing dark colored pants.
The vehicle is a rental out of Winnsboro, and was reported as stolen from a resident in Whitmire.
When it comes to the damage of the patrol vehicle, Foster said they ask for restitution from the court, on behalf of the tax payer, in cases such as these.
“Sometimes the court allows it and sometimes they do not. We certainly will be pursing restitution,” Foster said.
At the time of this article, Foster said they were looking for what the believe is a gun – tossed from the vehicle, on the interstate. Foster said if anyone happens to find the gun, for example if they were changing a flat tire on the interstate, please call 9-1-1.