A South Carolina man is gaining attention online after leading police on a bizarre and sluggish high-speed chase through Charleston—except, the chase was anything but high-speed. Instead, the 53-year-old suspect attempted to escape law enforcement while driving construction equipment—a large excavator—at a crawling pace.
The Chase Begins
The unusual incident began early Sunday morning, on June 8, when North Charleston police responded to a call about a large piece of construction equipment slowly moving across US Highway 78 around 3:30 a.m. Initially, the police unit did not suspect anything unusual since it was common for construction crews to be out at that hour. However, everything changed when the same piece of equipment was linked to a burglary at a business.
When the police received the burglary report, the man was seen leaving the scene in the excavator. This sparked a slow-moving pursuit by multiple squad cars, which chased the man at an almost unbelievable pace—just 3 mph, or slower. Police had their sirens on and repeatedly told the man to stop, but he continued driving at a crawl, refusing to pull over.
The Slow-Motion Chase
Despite the police’s best efforts, the chase remained incredibly slow. At times, the squad cars had to stop and wait, just to make sure they didn’t pass the man. The entire chase lasted an excruciating hour and twelve minutes as the suspect drove toward the Charleston County Fairgrounds. Eventually, the excavator got stuck, and the suspect tried to flee on foot. However, he was tracked by a drone and arrested by police and a canine unit.
Charges and Arrest
The man was charged with failure to stop for a blue light and two counts of malicious injury to real property. He was booked into the Charleston County jail, where his bond was set at $22,000.
A Slow-Speed Chase That’s Hard to Forget
While the pursuit might have been frustrating for law enforcement, it’s certainly become an unforgettable story. At the highest point, the chase reached only 3 mph—equivalent to the average walking speed of a human. Many have taken to social media, joking about how something that should have been a brief pursuit became a drawn-out and almost comical scene.
As entertaining as the footage may be, the slow-speed chase raises the question of whether the time spent following the man could have been better utilized. Surely, some might argue, quicker measures could have been taken to stop the suspect, given the snail-like pace he maintained.
A Chase for the History Books
While this slow-speed chase is one for the history books, it also serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of police pursuits. Even when a suspect is moving at a crawl, the situation can still lead to serious consequences and a long, drawn-out process for both the suspect and law enforcement.
