According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a guy was arrested on Saturday after committing a series of carjackings and a shooting throughout numerous South Carolina counties.
Steven Townsend, 32, will face charges of armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in Richland County, according to a news release from the sheriff’s department. Townsend is expected to face additional charges, but it is unclear whether they will be filed in Richland County or by law enforcement agencies in Orangeburg and Calhoun counties, where he was also involved in incidents Saturday, according to the release.
Richland County deputies became engaged around 7 a.m. after receiving a complaint of a carjacking in the 200 block of Blythewood Road, according to the sheriff’s department. That is in a section of Blythewood between U.S. 21/Main Street and I-77 that is strongly populated with eateries near a residential area. It’s near Blythewood High School.
According to the release, a victim told deputies that Townsend carjacked them at gunpoint before driving away in the stolen Lexus. According to an incident report, the victim stated that a man dressed in a red jacket and a red glittery mask, later identified as Townsend, got out of a Toyota and pointed a pistol at them before taking the Lexus keys and speeding away.
Deputies were able to quickly locate the disabled vehicle after it had been abandoned near the 1600 block of Beltline Boulevard, approximately 20 miles from where the Lexus was stolen, but Townsend had already fled, according to the sheriff’s department. According to the incident report, smoke and fluids were flowing from the stolen Lexus, which deputies believed had collided with another vehicle.
Deputies then discovered that a person matching Townsend’s description had jumped out of the stolen Lexus and stolen a second vehicle, a Ford Escape, according to the release. Deputies located the gun that Townsend is accused of using in the Lexus carjacking and discovered that it had been reported stolen from Union County, North Carolina, according to the sheriff’s department.
According to the sheriff’s department, deputies issued a BOLO to local law enforcement agencies for Townsend and the Ford Escape. According to the release, officers were informed by members of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office about 9:30 a.m. that they had discovered the stolen abandoned Ford Escape and found Townsend in a third stolen vehicle.
Townsend briefly escaped from Orangeburg County deputies before being shot, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
According to the announcement, Townsend was evacuated to a local hospital and is in stable condition. He is currently in the custody of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell, the deputy involved in the gunshot is “OK” and has been assessed at a hospital, WLTX reported. There was no additional information given about the deputy or the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Messages sent to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office were not returned promptly.
Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers confirmed that the pursuit ended in a wreck in his jurisdiction, according to WLTX.
No additional injuries were reported.
There was no news on why Townsend was in Richland County, a motivation for the carjackings, or where he planned to proceed in the stolen vehicles.
