A stolen car tore through yards in a Simpsonville neighborhood before slamming into a house on Renwood Road, sending two teenage suspects fleeing on foot and setting off a manhunt involving sheriff’s deputies, K9 teams and a drone, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies tried to stop the vehicle, which had been reported stolen, around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 15. The driver took off, and deputies said they did not pursue the car before it crashed into the home. Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the car striking the house as deputies rush to the scene, one running after a fleeing suspect while another checks the home for anyone hurt.
“Is everybody alright?” a deputy can be heard asking in the footage.
The passenger was taken into custody quickly, but finding the driver took more effort. K9 teams tracked a scent collected from the vehicle, and a drone gave deputies an aerial view of the neighborhood as the search continued, according to the sheriff’s office.
Two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were eventually arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. No one was injured.
In a social media post accompanying the video, the sheriff’s office said: “When someone decides to run from law enforcement in Greenville County, they quickly learn that our deputies have more than one way to find them. You can run, but our deputies have a pretty impressive toolbox. And they know how to use it.”
Neighbors describe close call
For people living nearby, the crash turned an ordinary afternoon frightening in an instant. Next-door neighbor Rachel Bush told WYFF she had just put her baby down for a nap when she heard the collision.
“I was just putting my baby down for a nap, and I heard a big crash outside,” Bush said. She added that she and her baby and dog had been outside only minutes earlier. “We were grateful we were back inside before everything happened,” she told WYFF.
No one was home at the time of the crash, according to one of the residents, who spoke to WYFF. He said he and his fiancé returned from running an errand just minutes after the car came through the front door. The vehicle missed another car parked in the garage by inches, he said, leaving an extensive cleanup and repair ahead.
Neighbor Robert Belcher said he went over to offer support once he saw what had happened. “I don’t know what to say to you but thank God no one was at home,” Belcher recalled telling the resident.
The resident, in turn, had a message for the teens accused in the crash: “Think about what you are doing; you never know if it’s going to impact lives.”
