COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Richland County Coroner's Office has released the identity of a 16-year-old who died following what their office described as a high-speed chase over the weekend.
The coroner's office said 16-year-old Brandon Nunez of Irmo was the teen whose body was recovered following the reported chase - an incident that also hurt five other teens. The Richland County Sheriff's Department said the chase began just before midnight on Friday when South Carolina State Patrol troopers attempted to stop a Jeep Cherokee.
The sheriff's department said the SUV driver attempted to escape and led troopers and deputies on a chase, with the escaping vehicle at times reaching speeds over 100 mph. The sheriff's department said the pursuit ended when the SUV crashed into a pond off Lost Creek Drive and Boat Ramp Road in the Chestnut Hill Plantation subdivision.
Due to the lake's murky conditions, the sheriff's department said its divers could not find the teen's body until Saturday morning. Authorities said Nunez was not the driver.
The Richland County Coroner's Office is working alongside the South Carolina Highway Patrol and Richland County Sheriff's Department to investigate the incident. Sheriff's department officials said previously that the Columbia Police Department would also have a hand in the investigation.