KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — A Kershaw County deputy is back at work after a high-speed chase involving a U-Haul truck ended in a crash.
Lieutenant Michael “Chewie” Hinson was attempting to stop a driver suspected of driving under the influence when the crash occurred on Highway 1.
Sheriff Lee Boan expressed relief over Hinson’s recovery. “I just want to thank God he’s still alive. It easily could have been worse,” Boan said.
Boan said dashcam footage from the chase showed Hinson observing a driver swerving. "[The] vehicle looked like it was going to pull over," Boan said. "It was there on Bay Lane, and when it pulled in, it started circling through the parking lot of lows and actually went over a curb and hit a stack of wood."
Deputies attempted to stop traffic and used stopsticks but the suspect managed to dodge them.
“Then we had deputies ahead that were trying to stop traffic at intersections in case somebody were to come along, keep them out of the way," Boan explained. "They tried to use their stop sticks at a couple of different locations and were unsuccessful because four lanes of traffic make it easy for somebody to dodge a little spike stick. Then when they finally got back to two lanes, they decided to try to surround the vehicle boxing in and slowing it down. And it was working. Got them slowed down to about 60. And then the guy, this is where it gets really bad. This is where the guy made a conscious decision that his escape was more important than our deputy's life."
The chase ended when Hinson successfully spun the U-Haul out, causing it to crash just feet from a home. The driver, 67-year-old James Washington, was arrested at the scene.
Sheriff Boan confirmed that Lt. Hinson has returned to work. “He's doing well. He's doing well. He's on the night shift. I talked to him yesterday. He's coming in tonight. He's he's one of our tough ones,” Boan added.
Washington faces multiple charges, including driving under the influence, driving under suspension, and failure to stop for blue lights. He is currently being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center with a total cash/surety bond set at $56,639.