Upside down in the Beaufort marsh: Charger flips after 130 mph street race, police chase
A street race and high-speed police pursuit early Sunday morning sent a Dodge Charger careening off a sharp bend and into the pluff mud near downtown Beaufort. Both occupants were hospitalized and the driver was arrested.
Around 12:35 a.m. Sunday, a trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol told nearby deputies he saw a motorcycle and Dodge Charger racing near the Broad River Bridge, reaching speeds over 130 mph. The Charger failed to stop for the trooper’s blue lights and turned onto Savannah Highway (S.C. 170), according to a police report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The trooper requested backup from deputies but asked them “not to engage” due to the speed of the chase. At the intersection of Trask Parkway and Parris Island Gateway, the trooper unsuccessfully attempted to stop the Charger with a PIT maneuver, where police pull to the side of a fleeing vehicle and gently make contact, forcing the suspect’s vehicle to turn sideways and stop.
Footage from the trooper’s in-car camera showed the Highway Patrol cruiser striking the Charger twice in its rear bumper, the incident report says. The trooper’s brush guard and hood were damaged as a result.
After nearly 10 miles of pursuit, the trooper then slowed down “well in advance” of Beaufort’s well-known “Bellamy Curve,” where Boundary Street turns into Carteret Street via a 90-degree bend overlooking the intracoastal waterway.
The driver of the Charger wasn’t as cautious. Law enforcement found the vehicle turned over in the marsh of the Barnwell Bluff, which was mostly free of water at the time. Hide tide was about 5 hours away.
From the upside-down Charger, both occupants told law enforcement they were okay. Crews from the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department helped remove both people from the totaled vehicle.
Police identified the driver but did not question the passenger due to a large amount of pluff mud on his face “making it difficult for him to speak,” according to the incident report.
Both occupants of the Charger were taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital as deputies requested a heavy-duty wrecker to retrieve the car from the marsh.
The driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old Bluffton woman, was arrested following her release from the hospital and charged with failure to stop for blue lights and racing on a public road, both of which are misdemeanors.
She was released from the Beaufort County jail around 5 a.m. Sunday on personal recognizance bonds totaling $7,500, meaning she would not have to pay the amount unless she violated court conditions.
Hospital staff told police the passenger suffered a small puncture to his lung and a fracture to his left eye socket, requiring treatment at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
In an interview with police, he said he was asleep in the car when he woke up to blue lights and the driver “freaking out.” They had been on their way to the driver’s home when the pursuit began, he said.
As of Monday afternoon, it was unclear if the driver of the motorcycle taking part in the street race was pulled over or apprehended.
Portions of Boundary and Carteret streets near the site of the crash were closed for about 90 minutes as first responders handled the scene.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette do not typically name individuals charged with misdemeanor offenses unless they are in a position of public trust or there is a compelling reason to do so.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 2:24 PM.
