At approximately 3:25am, a Deputy patrolling on SC 219 near the Love’s Travel Plaza noticed a suspicious person in a pickup truck. The Deputy began to investigate further and noticed the North Carolina tag did not match the size criteria of the truck being displayed. As the vehicle continued onto SC 219 South toward the interstate, the Deputy attempted to stop the truck. The truck accelerated onto I 26 East at an extremely high rate of speed. The driver of the truck attempted to wreck the pursuing Deputy several times by swerving and slamming on brakes.
The driver of the truck exited at the Little Mountain and then crossed the bridge toward Pomaria. Then the driver of the truck re-entered the Interstate the wrong way. The Sheriff’s supervisor immediately terminated the chase, but another Deputy traveling in the appropriate lanes continued in an effort to warn people of the oncoming out of control vehicle. As the truck came upon the Lexington County line in the construction; SC Highway Patrol, Lexington and Chapin Police were established. The suspect stopped and attempted to flee but was taken into custody.
The driver was identified as Carl Michael Burris, 43, of Andrews, NC. It is believed that Burris is wanted in North Carolina for parole violations. Burris is being charged with Failure to Stop for a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Arrest Using a Deadly Weapon, and numerous traffic violations.
Sheriff Lee Foster praised the Deputy in being alert to suspicious activity in the community. “All this guy had to do was to stop. I can almost guarantee you with how criminals are being treated he would not have been in jail long. However, he made a conscious decision to put people’s lives in danger with reckless abandon. In addition to failing to stop and putting the public in danger, he made a conscious effort to wreck and injure Deputies. This is not ok. There is no place for this nonsense.”
Burris is currently housed in the Newberry County Detention Center. At the time of this release he has not had a bond hearing.
