Drunken Beaufort teen found at crash site, charged with stealing SUV from parking lot
A Beaufort-area teenager was arrested late last month with the charge of stealing an unlocked car from a Food Lion parking lot, crashing it nearby and running away from police at the collision site, all while “extremely intoxicated.”
Beaufort County deputies were called around 10 p.m. April 29 to the Laurel Bay Food Lion off U.S. 21 (Trask Parkway), where a customer reported his red SUV had been stolen while he was inside the store. He had left the car unlocked with the keys inside, according to an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
A manager at the Food Lion told police the young male suspect, a former employee at the store, had been pulling on car door handles in an attempt to find unlocked vehicles. The manager reported seeing the suspect open the red SUV and drive away.
The teen traveled about two miles before crashing at the intersection of Trask Parkway and Shanklin Road and fleeing on foot, according to the report.
Police found the suspect a short distance down the road without a shirt on. With a “stack of cash” in his hand, the teen tried to solicit a ride from one of the deputies on scene, the report says. He was placed in handcuffs and taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital for medical clearance.
Even after the 2-hour drive to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia, facility staff initially told police they “would not accept” the suspect due to his drunken state, the report says. Eventually, he was booked into the facility on multiple charges related to the vehicle theft and hit-and-run.
While viewing surveillance footage from the Food Lion, a deputy noted he recognized the underage suspect from his previous encounters with police.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
