Driver with gun arrested in Westbury Park after foot chase

A Georgia man faces several charges after he was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at a driver and running from Bluffton Police.

Lazarto Smith, 34, of Washington, Ga., was charged with unlawful carry of a firearm, pointing and presenting a firearm, fleeing to evade and failure to stop for blue lights Saturday after police chased him on foot through Westbury Park, according to a Bluffton Police Department news release.

Police set out to find Smith after a motorist on U.S. 278 called dispatch to say the driver of a green van pointed a gun at him.

The caller pulled over and said Smith also stopped the green van, got out and walked toward him pointing the gun, the release said.

The caller then fled.

When police arrived, the caller said he saw the van pull into the Buck Island Road Publix.

The van was located and as police tried to pull it over, the driver sped into the Westbury Park neighborhood and a perimeter was set up, the release said.

Smith then left the van and ran.

As police yelled for him to stop, he continued to run until he was eventually stopped and arrested, the release said.

A handgun was found inside the van he drove.

Smith is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center on a bond of over $36,000, according to the detention center’s website.

This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Driver with gun arrested in Westbury Park after foot chase."