COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Monday, July 17, two people died and one was injured in an accident after what South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) says started as a pursuit with Richland County deputies.
Trooper Brandon Bolton with the SCHP said the accident happened a little after 3 a.m. Monday morning on Mallet Hill Road, which is in northeast Columbia, about there miles north of the city.
RELATED: Coroner identifies victim after 1 dead, 3 youths injured in overnight shooting in north Columbia
Richland County deputies say one of their officers saw a vehicle that had been reported stolen in the city of Columbia and attempted to stop it on Mallet Hill. However, the officer said the driver drove away. The deputy pursued but reported losing sight of the vehicle later.
Deputies say as they were driving in the area looking for the vehicle, they got a report that the vehicle crashed in the 800 block of Mallet Hill Road and that it was on fire. The sheriff's department said deputies attempted to put the fire out.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash, said the SUV ran off the road and hit a tree, fire hydrant, and a fence. The driver of the vehicle was the one who who is hospitalized, while the two passengers died.
Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford identified the two passengers as Makiya Alford, 21, of West Columbia, and Keyona Bryant, 19, of Columbia.
The accident remains under investigation.
This is the second fatal pursuit involving deputies from the last several days. On Saturday, a 16-year-old died after what began as a high-speed pursuit that ended with a crash in a pond in Richland County.