13-year-old Beaufort County boy detained after 8-mile police chase in a stolen car
A 13-year-old boy from Beaufort County is in custody with the SC Department of Juvenile Justice after a miles-long police chase through Bluffton in a stolen car, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Bluffton officers spotted the stolen 2021 Kia Sedona leaving Palmetto Bluff Plantation around 1:30 a.m. Monday, initiating a chase after the driver failed to pull over for a traffic stop. Police stationed further down May River Road set off a spike strip that deflated both of the car’s driver-side tires, according to a police report.
But the driver sped on, nearing 80 miles per hour as he veered “recklessly” across both sides of the highway, even after both deflated tires fell off the vehicle. The chase spanned nearly eight miles across Bluffton, ending at a dead end on Gascoigne Bluff Road, where the driver fled on foot and hopped a fence.
With the help of the Sheriff’s Office bloodhound team, police found and detained the 13-year-old boy nearby, who told deputies he and a friend had stolen the vehicle Friday from the Marsh Point Apartments on northern Hilton Head. He had hidden the stolen car at the end of a nearby back road, he told police, and took it out that night to “hang out with friends,” according to the report.
The boy was charged Monday with felony grand larceny, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, failure to stop for blue lights, fleeing to evade arrest and driving without a license, all of which will be tried within the Family Court system. His name will not be released due to his status as a minor.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens said police believe the case could be connected to another vehicle stolen this weekend from the Marsh Side community, which borders the Marsh Point Apartments. No other minors or adults have yet been charged in the string of island car thefts.
This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 4:13 PM.
