LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says his agency is searching for the suspect, who he says triggered a series of events that led to the death of one of his K-9 officers.
Lott gave an update Thursday afternoon into the death of K-9 Wick, who was killed in the line of duty hours earlier. Lott, wearing a black band on his sheriff's badge, said he and his officers are all in mourning.
"These dogs are not just a dog, they're something very important to us, something very valuable," Lott said. "The work that they do can't be measured. They save lives, they find missing people, missing children."
Around 1 a.m. Thursday, K9 Wick and his handler, K-9 Specialist Zaid Abdullah, were tracking a suspect of a stolen van along I-77 near Exit 2 in Lexington County when K9 Wick's leash broke. He continued chasing the suspect across the highway. During the chase, Wick was struck by a passing vehicle in the northbound lanes of I-77.
K-9 Wick died at the scene.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department had initially located the stolen vehicle being operated near Windsor Lake Boulevard and Brookfield Road in the Dentsville area of Richland County. Deputies attempted a traffic stop and the suspect driving the vehicle refused to stop. A chase ensued down Decker Boulevard and onto I-77, where RCSD was able to successfully deploy stop sticks at mile marker 2, and the vehicle came to a stop.
The suspect then fled from the scene on foot. With the suspect in sight, K-9 team Wick and Abdullah started to chase. Sheriff Lott said when Wick jumped over the cable barriers at that location, he tugged on the leash, and it broke. Lott said that's never happened before with any of his K-9s.
Wick then ran into the lanes of I-77 to pursue the suspect and was hit by oncoming traffic. He died immediately, Lott said.
While officers continued to do an extensive search for the suspect, they were not able to find the man, and they are still looking for him. Lott said people who know where he may be should call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
Around 11 a.m., hours after his death, a procession was held for K-9 Wick through the streets of Columbia and ended at a funeral home on State Street in West Columbia. Over 100 law enforcement vehicles from multiple agencies took part in the effort.
The driver of the vehicle that struck K-9 Wick has been identified, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the collision.
K-9 Wick was a 3 year old Belgian Malinois and was with RCSD for a year and a half.