SPD: Man charged, passenger injured after trying to evade officers

Michael Charles Rose is being charged after a police chase ended with a crash on Friday night, said Sumter Police.
(Photo: Sumter Police Department)

SUMTER, S.C. (WOLO)– A driver is being charged and his passenger was injured after a police chase ended with a crash on Friday night, said officers.

At about 8:27 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, officers tried to make a traffic stop on North Guignard Drive after seeing a vehicle identified in connection with an ongoing metal theft investigation. 

Investigators said the chase began as the driver sped away before losing control of the vehicle, which rolled over and crashed at the Alice Drive/Wesmark Boulevard intersection.

A passenger in the vehicle was thrown from the SUV as it crashed and she was found severely injured.

Police said the driver managed to get out of the car and run away from the scene.

After a search by officers and Sumter County deputies, the driver who was identified as 47-year-old Michael Charles Rose, of Council Street, was found in a wooded area near Meadow Circle.

Rose was placed in custody and treated for minor injuries, according to the Sumter Police Department.

He was booked at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center and charged by Sumter PD with driving under suspension and failure to stop for blue lights involving in an accident with great bodily harm.

Rose also faces a felony driving under the influence charge by S.C. Highway Patrol.

The passenger who was airlifted to a Columbia hospital remains in critical condition.

The S.C. Highway Patrol and its Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team are investigating the crash.