Think of it as evolution in action… Authorities recover body of man who drove stolen car into Ashley River By Jocelyn Grzeszczak jgrzeszc...@postandcourier.com Published Sun Nov 27, 2022 11:30 AM EST NORTH CHARLESTON — Authorities discovered the body of a man who died after plunging a stolen car into the Ashley River over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Search and dive teams from multiple agencies, including the North Charleston Police Department and State Law Enforcement Division, found the man's body in the water around 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26, police spokesman Harve Jacobs said. Authorities had been searching for the man, whose identity has not yet been released, since he disappeared early Nov. 25. North Charleston police officers arrived around 4 a.m. to a rental home on Flynn Drive in the Wando Woods neighborhood after residents called 911 to report someone banging on their door and ringing the doorbell. A woman called 911 three times, updating dispatchers as the situation evolved, according to a recording released by the Police Department. The man — whom the caller described as young and clad in a blue jean jacket — walked away from their front door, possibly to a neighboring home. He had arrived in a sedan, the caller said, which he parked in the grass in front of the house. The woman called back to tell dispatchers she saw police officers go past their house, worried they'd been given the wrong address. The dispatcher asked if she could flag down the officers. "We're scared to go outside," she replied. A male voice is heard in the background of the call reporting that the officers "must be chasing the suspect" near the neighboring house. The officers had their flashlights out, he said. The caller then said the man had reappeared in front of their driveway before letting out a gasp. “Oh my gosh. He just sped out of our driveway and he almost hit the officer," she said. “Oh my God. He just like, hit the gas.” The Police Department released two videos captured on the doorbell cameras of nearby homes. A car can be seen racing down Flynn Drive and over the ramp leading into the water, which dead-ends the road. No other cars or people are visible in the footage. In his initial email, Jacobs wrote officers had noticed the parked car after they arrived at the scene. They approached it and tried to speak with its driver. But the car pulled out of the driveway, speeding down Flynn Drive and into the Ashley River. Jacobs later said the driver fled so quickly that officers "never even had a chance" to chase the car with their lights or sirens. The driver called for help, managing to escape the car before it sunk. Officers "tried to help him," but the man disappeared under the water, Jacobs said. A dive team pulled out the Mercedes-Benz sedan, which was reported as stolen, but authorities couldn't find the man in their initial search. SLED is assisting the Police Department in its "active investigation," Jacobs said. The Charleston County Coroner's Office will release the man's identity. Sent from my iPad _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
