On August 28, 2015, at approximately 1:09 AM, two officers performed a traffic stop at the intersection of N. Pleasantburg Drive and E. North Street for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, there was a primary officer on the driver side and secondary officer on the passenger side.
The officers suspected that the female driver may have been impaired so they began asking her questions and giving her directions. During the encounter, the driver did turn the vehicle off, however she became uncooperative when asked to exit the vehicle to continue the investigation.
The officer on the passenger side opened the door and reached in to undo her seatbelt so that she would get out of the vehicle. During this process, the driver started the vehicle and fled the scene, causing the officer to be trapped inside.
After a short distance of fleeing the scene, the driver collided with a pole, causing the vehicle to flip over. At this point the driver was detained and both she and the officer were transported to the hospital. Both, the officer and the suspect are in stable condition.
The SC Highway Patrol responded to the scene and will be investigating the collision. There will be more charges to come from both agencies as the investigation continues.