CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Two men have been arrested, and one charged with six counts of attempted murder, after the Charleston County Sheriff's Office says they led law enforcement on a lengthy high-speed chase through parts of Charleston and Dorchester counties Saturday night.
The driver, Richard Cunningham, of Summerville, was arrested and charged with failure to stop for blue lights, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and six counts of attempted murder.
The passenger, Christopher Sommers, of Naples, Florida, was arrested for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The deputies involved in the pursuit did not sustained any serious injuries.
Both Cunningham and Sommers remain in jail at the Charleston County Detention Center. A judge has not set bond for Cunningham. Sommers' bond has been set at $5,465.
Below is a summary of the incident leading to the chase, as provided by Maj. Eric Watson, public information officer for the Charleston County Sheriff's Office:
"On December 30, 2017, shortly after 10:00 p.m., a Charleston County Sheriff's Office deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a confirmed stolen vehicle out of Florida. After the deputy activated all of his emergency lights, to initiate this traffic stop, the driver of the car turned in to a neighborhood off of Bees Ferry refusing to stop. As a result, a vehicle pursuit ensued. The driver of the stolen car drove back onto Bees Ferry Road towards Glenn McConnell Pkwy. "The driver of the vehicle turned onto Glenn McConnell and then onto Mary Ader Drive striking a fence near the City of Charleston Park. The driver drove back onto Glenn McConnell Pkwy towards Bees Ferry Road and then turned onto SC Highway 61 towards Summerville. The driver drove into Dorchester County and turned back towards Charleston County on SC Highway 165. The driver and passenger began throwing items from the car along Highway 165. "Eventually, our deputies were able to deploy stop sticks deflating the suspects' vehicle tires. However, the driver continued and attempted to force one of our deputies from the roadway. During this pursuit, the driver rammed another deputy's patrol car and attempted to ram several others. After our deputies were able to force the suspects' vehicle off of the road, the driver and the passenger surrendered without further incident."