Sumter deputies take 1 in custody after high-speed chase in stolen vehicle

A Texas man was taken into custody Tuesday morning in connection to a stolen vehicle out of a county over 80 miles from Sumter.

On the morning of Tuesday, June 25, a Sumter County Sheriff’s Office deputy was patrolling Interstate 95 when the deputy noticed a pickup truck driving above the speed limit. The deputy’s radar indicated the truck, driven by 33-year-old Donald Edward Reed Jr., of Grand Prairie, Texas, was traveling 94 miles per hour, according to Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Mark Bordeaux.

While pursuing the pickup, the deputy noticed Reed Jr. was driving recklessly and passing vehicles on the shoulder of the road. After traveling nearly two-and-a-half miles, the truck’s engine then burst into flames, spraying fuel on the deputy’s vehicle, Bordeaux said. The truck then left the road near the 140-mile marker before crashing into a fence line along the interstate.

As the deputy ran in an attempt to rescue Reed Jr. and take him into custody, another deputy arrived on scene to witness Reed Jr. running along the fence line.

Reed darted across the interstate and into a wooded area. Additional deputies, including K-9 teams, arrived and began the search for Reed Jr., tracking him with the help of K-9 Tara to a ditch. Reed Jr. was arrested and taken into custody. He was charged with failure to stop for a blue light, speeding 30mph over speed limit and striking fixtures on or next to highway, according to Bordeaux.

Further investigation revealed the pickup was stolen from a Colleton County resident and Reed Jr. was identified as a “violent offender” and a “threat to law enforcement,” Bordeaux said.

Reed Jr. refused EMS but was taken to Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital. After being examined, he was taken to Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, where he remains awaiting Colleton County Sheriff's Office.