A stolen car tore through yards in a South Carolina neighborhood and crashed into a home before two teenagers ran from the wreck, setting off a search by deputies, K9 teams and a drone, authorities said.
The Greenville County Sheriff's Office released video of the crash and its aftermath. The footage shows the car hitting the house, deputies rushing toward the wreckage and one deputy chasing a fleeing suspect. As authorities checked the home for anyone who might be hurt, a deputy can be heard asking, "Is everybody alright?"
According to the sheriff's office, deputies tried to stop the reported stolen vehicle at about 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 15. The driver fled, but deputies said they did not pursue the car before it crashed into the house on Renwood Road in Simpsonville.
The passenger was quickly taken into custody. Finding the driver took longer and required help from the ground and the air. K9 teams used multiple dogs to track the driver's path, and drone operators gave deputies an aerial view of the neighborhood, the sheriff's office said. The video also shows a dog picking up a scent collected from the vehicle before following the driver's trail.
Two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were eventually arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. No injuries were reported.
In a post accompanying the video, the sheriff's office said: "When someone decides to run from law enforcement in Greenville County, they quickly learn that our deputies have more than one way to find them." The agency added, "You can run, but our deputies have a pretty impressive toolbox. And they know how to use it."
For people living nearby, the crash interrupted an ordinary afternoon. Next-door neighbor Rachel Bush told WYFF, "I was just putting my baby down for a nap, and I heard a big crash outside." She said she had been walking outside with her baby and dog only minutes earlier. "We were grateful we were back inside before everything happened," she told the outlet.
One of the home's residents told WYFF that no one was home when the car went through the front door. He and his fiancé returned from an errand minutes later and found the damage. The car missed another vehicle in the garage by inches, he said, but the incident still left behind a large cleanup and repair job.
Another neighbor, Robert Belcher, told WYFF he offered support after seeing what had happened. "I don't know what to say to you but thank God no one was at home," Belcher recalled telling his neighbor.
The resident also had a message for the teenagers accused in the case. "Think about what you are doing; you never know if it's going to impact lives," he told WYFF.
