Driver suspected in Bluffton shoplifting flips car after police attempt to pull him over

Bluffton Police Department officers were attempting to pull over a driver suspected of shoplifting at Kroger on Thursday night when the vehicle the man was driving crashed on Pinckney Colony Road, said Capt. Joe Babkiewicz, spokesman for the department.

The car flipped when it turned onto the road from U.S. 278, Babkiewicz said.

He said no one was injured.

Babkiewicz said officers were responding to Kroger in Bluffton Village Town Center regarding a shoplifting around 6:30 p.m. when they saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s swerving out of the parking lot onto U.S. 278.

“Officers turned on lights and attempted to stop the vehicle, but it sped up,” Babkiewicz said. He said officers were ordered to back off due to the rate of speed the driver was traveling.

The suspect was taken into custody, Babkiewicz said.

He was not identified Thursday evening.

This story was originally published June 6, 2019 at 7:41 PM.