10/9/24 Lexington, SC – Civil Dispute Call – Suspect Had A Knife And Resisted – Stole The Deputy’s Marked SUV – Multi-Agency Chase – Crashed Into North Augusta Patrol Car – Both Patrol Cars Are Totalled

October 9, 2024

www.augustachronicle.com

A 22-year-old man was arrested after stealing a Lexington County sheriff’s deputy’s patrol car and engaging in a multi-county police chase that ended in North Augusta.

Kevin Romero, 22, of Lexington, South Carolina, is charged with grand larceny, failure to stop for blue lights and reckless driving, according to arrest warrants.

A deputy responded to a call about a civil dispute Monday night on the 3400 block of Augusta Road, according to Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon.

Romero, who was wanted by at least two Midlands law enforcement agencies, had a bat in his hand and eventually dropped it after numerous commands from the deputy to do so, according to Koon. He continued to put his hands in his pockets, and told the deputy he had a knife in his pocket.

“The deputy was able to get the knife out of Romero’s pocket and put it on the ground,” Koon said. “As the deputy was trying to detain Romero, he started to resist and disregard commands. The deputy called for backup as they continued to struggle.”

The fight moved to the deputy’s patrol vehicle and Romero eventually made his way to the driver’s seat, which is where the deputy attempted to use his stun gun, according to Koon.

“Once Romero was in the vehicle, he shifted it into drive, drove away and initiated a pursuit,” Koon said. “A passerby offered to help the deputy and they trailed Romero in the passerby’s car for a while before meeting up with a second deputy.”

Other patrol units followed Romero until he crashed into a North Augusta Public Safety patrol car on Interstate Highway 20 near mile marker 5, according to Koon and a NADPS incident report.

“Romero was taken into custody right after the crash and transported to the Lexington County Detention Center,” Koon said. “He’s still in jail with more charges expected against him in the coming days. This situation ended peacefully and without anybody getting hurt because a lot of agencies worked together.”

The State Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina Highway Patrol, Georgia State Patrol, Lexington Police Department, Batesburg-Leesville Police Department, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and North Augusta Department of Public Safety responded to the incident.