SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — Two teens have been arrested after an investigation of one stolen vehicle led to another in Sumter County earlier in the week.
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office said dispatch received a notice of a stolen 2020 Kia Optima on Monday around 5:45 p.m. Deputies responded and spotted the car on Lynx Court following a Hyundai. Deputies turned on their lights and sirens, but they said both vehicles sped up and drove into a home's backyard.
The statement didn't elaborate on what immediately followed but said both drivers, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, were detained.
Records showed the Hyundai was stolen from a home on Alice Drive in the Sumter city limits, and one of the teens admitted to being the driver. Sumter police officers took the driver into custody, and the Kia driver was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
Both are now in custody at a Department of Juvenile Justice facility after authorities charged each of them with grand larceny of a motor vehicle.
Sheriff Anthony Dennis highlighted the work of deputies and dispatchers in the case and denounced the "foolish decisions" of the two teens.
"As these suspects are finding out, there are serious consequences for breaking the law," he said.