Hilton Head man wanted for assault crashes truck, injures others after police chase, report says
Two people were taken to the hospital Friday night after a Hilton Head man wanted on an assault charge crashed the truck he was driving into their car on New Orleans Road following a police chase, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.
At 7:54 p.m., a Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to an anonymous complaint that Aaron Greene — who has an active arrest warrant — was inside a black Toyota Tacoma that was parked on Spanish Wells Road, the report said. The deputy drove to the location and stopped behind the truck.
Greene then drove the truck onto Muddy Creek Road and sped up as the deputy followed him, the report said.
Another deputy “began pursuing the fleeing truck,” which reached speeds of more than 90 mph, as it turned onto the Cross Island Parkway, drove through the toll booths, and continued along Palmetto Bay Road toward Sea Pines Circle, the report said.
The deputy stopped the chase at Sea Pines Circle at 8:12 p.m.
Six minutes later, according to the report, both deputies involved in the chase were dispatched to a collision involving the truck nearby.
Both Greene and the female passenger “fled the scene,” the report said.
The woman later returned, telling deputies she ran away because she was scared. She confirmed Greene was driving the truck.
S.C. Highway Patrol is investigating the wreck.
The two-vehicle collision happened on New Orleans Road near the intersection with William Hilton Parkway when Greene struck a car that was trying to make a left turn as he attempted to pass it improperly on the left side, Highway Patrol spokesperson Lance Cpl. Matt Southern said Monday afternoon.
Greene’s truck ran off the left side of the road before he fled.
Greene has a history of drug, assault and fleeing to evade police charges in Beaufort County, according to previous reporting by the Island Packet.
He most recently was released from jail in May after posting a $50,000 surety bond on a charge of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor between the ages of 11 and 14 years old, according to Beaufort County court records. He was also charged with first-degree manufacture, distribution of cocaine; and fleeing to evade a the time.
Earlier this month, 7-year-old Caleb Brown, of St. Helena Island, and his step-mother, Ronda Brown, of Beaufort, died after a vehicle crash on S.C. 170. The car they were in was struck by a car involved in a police chase that had been terminated 13 minutes prior.
“We don’t want to contribute to putting the public in danger,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Bob Bromage said Monday. “Our job is to protect them.”
He said when it becomes apparent there’s more of a safety risk to continue the chase, then deputies end it.
“You can’t control what the driver does, but you can remove yourself from the equation and try to deescalate the situation,” Bromage said.
This story was originally published July 22, 2019 at 4:36 PM.
