By: Nikie Mayo, Anderson Independent Mail
Timothy Ryan Chapman (Photo: Contributed)
Nikki Carson, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office, said in a previous interview that her agency received a call about a stolen vehicle at the 7-Eleven on S.C. 8 before the crash. She said the driver of the stolen vehicle fled the store, and as officers were pursuing the car, a deputy was involved in a collision with Martin’s vehicle, which was not part of the chase.
According to the Highway Patrol, Martin’s Honda Civic was headed north and Chapman’s patrol car was headed west when the Ford Crown Victoria struck the Honda in the passenger’s side.
Chapman was taken a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening.
Several days after the crash, two men were arrested in connection to the chase that preceded the fatal crash.
Ronnie Cody Pittman, 20, of Piedmont, and Christopher Gist, 20, of Easley, were charged.
Pittman was charged with failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death, driving under suspension and possession of a stolen vehicle, while Gist was charged with grand larceny and accessory after the fact to a felony, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol and jail records.
After the fatal crash, the Independent Mail sought the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office’s policy on vehicle pursuits. The records were released after the newspaper filed a Freedom of Information request.
More: Sheriff’s Office policy says public danger must be considered in pursuits
The pursuit policy at the time stated that a vehicle pursuit was justified only when an officer had reasonable belief that a person had committed a serious crime and then determined that the desire to immediately catch that person “outweighs the level of danger created by the pursuit.”
Sheriff Chad McBride said Wednesday the agency has made modifications to the policy since the fatal chase.
“We still are going to pursue, but we want to be clear about the circumstances that will cause us to pursue someone,” McBride said. “We’re going to be cautious. Every situation involving a chase is different, and because of that, it is important that supervisors know what to communicate to officers involved in chases.”
McBride said the fatal crash was “a tragedy for both young men and their families.”
McBride said that prior to his arrest, Chapman had worked at his agency for about three years as a patrol officer.
Walt Wilkins, the 13th Judicial Circuit solicitor who represents Greenville and Pickens counties, reviewed the evidence in this case and decided there were grounds to charge Chapman. Solicitor David Wagner, who represents Anderson and Oconee counties, did not review the case because it involved an Anderson County deputy.
The highway patrol investigated the case and its multi-disciplinary accident investigation team reconstructed what happened.
Martin’s mother, Teresa Bowen, said Wednesday that his family is not yet discussing any details of the case.
“We are grateful that Solicitor Wilkins’ office objectively reviewed the facts in this case and came to the decision they did,” she said. “We appreciate all of the hard work that the highway patrol, the MAIT team and everyone involved has done in this case.”
Jeff Lockaby, a retired sergeant and former training officer for the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, said every police pursuit is “inherently, extremely dangerous” to everyone involved, including the officers, suspects and members of the general public.
“An officer has a duty to give due regard to the safety of every one of those people,” Lockaby said Wednesday. “During every second of a chase, the officer has to ask: Does the necessity to apprehend this suspect outweigh the risk of innocent bystanders losing their lives? If at any point the answer is no … the officer must terminate the pursuit.”
Read more at: http://www.islandpacket.com/news/state/south-carolina/article186016603.html